corset rebellion follower's Halloween Spectacular
by corset-rebellion-follower
Summary: This year there's a Halloween party at the Jade Palace, and corset-rebellion-follower is hosting it! And guess what else... YOU'RE INVITED! Come and see all the freaks and abnormal stuffs that are going to haunt the place for the month of October!
1. The Explanation

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda, and I probably never will.

--

Chapter 1- The Explanation

Po was jumping up and down excitedly. "Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, she's coming! I can't wait!"

"Please, Po, you're making me dizzy. We're all excited, but don't wet your pants," Crane implored. The rest of the Five nodded.

"Ugh, I'm sorry guys, I'm just so happy! She hasn't been here in such a long time!" Po chirped.

"I know, and she's late. In more ways than one. How long does she expect us to sit around here, waiting for her to show up? It's not like we don't have lives and we can just wait around all day!" Tigress snipped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Give the girl a break. She's been busy lately, according to her last letter," Monkey said, holding up a piece of paper, "She's in high school now. We're not the only thing on her mind anymore."

"Still, she could at least be a little more considerate and just show up when she says she's going to," she huffed.

"Yeah, and I still have to organize all my calligraphy brushes. Not that I'm saying I don't want her here, I just wish she would get here," Crane added sheepishly.

"Well I think that you're all being jerks and that you should stop fighting. She'll get here soon enough, and when she does, we'll all be happy," Mantis said peacefully. Everyone in the room stared at him.

"Ok, where did that come from?" Crane asked.

"Yeah, normally you'd be the one screaming 'Fight! Fight!' from the sidelines," Viper said worriedly, pressing her tail to his small forehead to see if he had a temperature.

Mantis smacked it away. "What? I can be deep! I just prefer not to show my sensitive side all the time!" he defended.

"Are you all finished?" They all turned to face the voice at the entrance to the Jade Palace. Master Shifu was looking at them sternly. A young, plucky girl of fifteen was standing next to him. A human girl, with hair as dark as midnight and shining topaz eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Po screamed happily as he swung the girl around in his arms before giving her a bone crushing hug. "It's so great to see you again!"

"Thanks, Po. But you're bruising a few of my ribs," she said weakly. He immediately stopped and dropped her, causing her to hit the ground with a thud. Tigress smiled and helped her up.

"I thought you liked me, Tigress," she said dismally, looking at her black converses.

"I do, I just wish you were more punctual," Tigress consoled, tilting the girl's face so that she was looking up at her and gave her an encouraging smile. The girl threw her arms around Tigress and squeezed.

"Aw, I missed you too!"

After they managed to pry her off Tigress, they all gathered together in a group hug, minus Shifu, who just stood there smiling appreciatively. "Wow, corset, it's been such a long time since you were last here! What have you been up to?" Viper asked.

Corset-rebellion-follower shrugged. "Oh, you know, this and that. Just normal high school stuff," she said, shrugging.

"I hope you've kept your grades up, young lady," Shifu warned.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Who cares about grades anyway? So, do you guys want to know why I'm here or not?" she asked.

Po nodded excitedly. "Come on, don't keep us in the dark! What's up? It's got to be important or you wouldn't have traveled all the way to China," he squealed. Corset laughed.

"Alright, I'll let you in on the secret, Big Guy. As you know, it is October 1st," she said mysteriously, a small smile flashing across her face.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?" Tigress asked impatiently.

"Well, my dear Tigress, since it is October 1st, that means there are only 30 more days until Halloween!" she squeaked happily.

"So?" Mantis asked.

"So it means there are only 30 more days until trick-or-treating! Whoo! Am I right?" Po asked.

"Not exactly," corset said dismissively. Po sighed in defeat and slumped, looking at the floor and stomping his foot quietly.

"Aw, man…"

"But since Halloween is the greatest holiday on the face of the planet, I've decided to have a Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular this year!" corset said kindly, making Po's face light up again.

"Since when is Halloween the greatest holiday? Don't you think there are a few more holidays that are a little more… important?" Tigress asked. Corset laughed a little and placed her hand on Tigress' shoulder.

"I expected you to say that, Tigress. But you're wrong. Halloween is indeed the greatest holiday that was ever conceived, and therefore I shall honor its awesomeness with a huge party here at the Jade Palace. All in favor say 'I'!" Before Master Shifu or Tigress could protest, six hands shot up in the air and six voices called out "I". Corset did a little happy dance. "The 'I's have it! Party at the Jade Palace! And not only will we be having fun everyday for the next thirty days, but I'm going to be posting it all on for everyone to enjoy! Isn't it great?" she asked coolly.

"You bet! I can't wait!" Po said excitedly.

"It actually sounds like a lot of fun," Monkey agreed.

"Yeah. It's been awhile since our last good party. I think it was when I was 17 and Monkey, Crane, and I threw that huge bash when Master Shifu was away. Good times," Mantis said reflectively, staring off into space.

"But this will be so much better than that! There will be candy! Songs! Supernatural stuff! Romance!" Corset was cut off by Tigress.

"Oh, please do not tell me that you're going to try and pair two of us up again! That never ends well, corset," she scolded.

"But you have to admit, it was pretty funny when she tried to convince you and Master Shifu to go out," Mantis said, holding back his hysterical laughter. A bright pink blush blossomed across corset's cheeks like a cherry tree in spring.

"What? What is it?" Crane asked. All eyes were on her.

"Well… um… you see, I didn't mean any of you guys when I said 'romance'," she said shyly.

"Who did you mean then?" Monkey asked. She looked away.

"Well, I kinda, uh, meant, um…"

"Spit it out!" Tigress prodded.

"I meant that I, um…"

"Come on, how bad could it be?" Po asked. "Don't go there," Viper warned.

"What I'm trying to say is…"

"GET ON WITH IT!!" they all chorused, at their wits' end.

"IT'S ME, ALRIGHT! I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" corset screamed. She immediately covered her mouth after she said it. They all stared at her with wide eyes.

"You… you have a WHAT? WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING ON TELLING ME ABOUT THIS?" Shifu asked angrily, approaching her.

"Now, Master Shifu, calm down. I was planning on telling everyone about him when I got here, and I did. In fact, you can all meet him, cuz I brought him with me," she said happily, skipping over to the doors and opening them enough to stick her head out, which she promptly did.

"She brought him with her? Did you know about this, Master?" Tigress asked. Shifu's eye was twitching, and his mouth was hanging open.

"I'm taking that as a no," Mantis said, hopping onto Tigress' shoulder.

A few moments later, corset pulled her head back in. "Are you guys ready? And please keep all kung fu to yourselves until you at least get to know him," she pleaded, looking a little nervous.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's a great guy. Open up those doors, honey!" Po said encouragingly.

Corset took a deep breath before pushing open one of the doors. "It's cool, I made them promise not to kill you," she coaxed. A very handsome, very lean tiger came in through the door. He looked no older than corset, and his soft purple eyes sparkled at the sight of her.

"This is Rajah. And he's my, you know, boyfriend, and stuff," corset said, blushing lightly again. Rajah smiled a little.

"It… it's really a pleasure. I had no idea that corset knew the Furious Five, the Dragon Warrior, and Master Shifu," he said, slightly flustered.

"He's going to be helping with the Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular. He knows all sorts of cool Halloween type stuff," corset squealed happily, bouncing a little. But it was too late.

Shifu was already dragging him away for questioning.

"You know, he's probably never going to be the same again. He might look like it, but still…" Crane noted.

Corset sighed. "Yeah. I know. Poor guy."

A/N: Ok, so maybe I don't have hair the color of midnight or topaz eyes, or a boyfriend named Rajah who is a tiger, but it is fanfiction, right? And since this is my first Halloween on where I actually realize the potential of this holiday and fanfiction mixed, I decided to publish a whole new fic. Don't worry, I'm still working on My Own Destiny and Year of the Goose. Sorry about the lack of updates. High School is really bringing me down. But I could not resist posting a KFP fanfic for the Halloween season! And I so solemnly swear to post a new chapter for every day of October, no matter how short or long, culminating up to the bestest chapter on my favorite day of the year, October 31st! And yes, I'm actually making myself a character in this story, not just an author commenting. Therefore I have the right to distort myself into anything I want. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And I also promise you, my faithful readers, to make this the craziest, awesomeist, and completely new fanfic I have ever created. HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL! PEACE OUT! SEE YOU TOMORROW! Holla!


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

--

Chapter 2- Something Wicked This Way Comes

Po gingerly dipped the apple into the red concoction, coating its green surface with the stuff. "Honestly, you guys have the weirdest traditions. What does this have to do with Halloween at all, besides the fact that it's candy?" he commented. Corset swiftly smacked his free paw with a spoon. "OW! What was that for?"

"Don't mock the candy apple. We aren't making fun of your traditions, are we?" she asked.

"What are their traditions? I didn't know that the Chinese celebrated Halloween," Rajah said, dipping a claw into the candy apple solution and eating it off before it could harden.

"They don't normally celebrate Halloween, only when there's a kick-butt party up in the Valley of Peace. They celebrate 'The Ghost Festival' instead," corset reported, "And it's actually a pretty good festival for supernatural stuff. People have rituals, burn things, and offer food to ghosts. It's wicked, but not as fun."

"Yeah, and itchy. My dad was always really superstitious at the Ghost Festival. He would always tell me, 'Po, if you're not careful about these things, the evil spirits will come and lift you up, fly you out of your room, and then drop you and make you land on your head!' And we always wore wool clothes. I can tell you this: heavy wool and fur do not mix," Po explained, shivering a little.

A loud roar of thunder filled the air. "Sounds like it's going to storm," Rajah commented.

"Too late."

Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey were all in the kitchen doorway, soaking wet. "It's pouring like crazy out there!" Viper said, shaking the water off her and taking her seat at the table.

Monkey followed suit. "We were sparring in the courtyard when it started raining cats and dogs. And I bet Tigress, Mantis, and Shifu are going to regret staying in the training hall in an hour or two if the rain doesn't stop."

"What makes you say that?" Po asked.

"Because there's no food in the training hall. Why do you think we came to the bunkhouse instead?" Mantis replied.

"Speaking of food, what smells good?" Monkey asked.

"Candy apples!" corset said happily, placing a plateful of the treats on the table. Another round of thunder rumbled, and a few moments later there was a flash of lightning.

"It's getting pretty bad out there, maybe someone should go get Master, Mantis and Tigress before they won't be able to get through the rain," Crane said worriedly.

"That's probably a good idea," corset agreed, dunking another apple, "And I nominate Po."

Po said with a hint of fear in his voice, "What? You want me to go out there? Are you insane?"

"I second the nomination. Get out there, big guy," Mantis ordered.

"But, but…"

Corset picked up a candy apple and waved it in his face. "If you go, this apple and many more can be yours," she offered. His eyes followed the apple hungrily. The groaning of his stomach joined the thunder.

"Oh, fine! But if I don't come back, I want to be buried with my action figures and a few of those apples." Po left the kitchen, after Crane pushed him a bit. They all sat around the table, receiving warmth from the nearby stove and eating the candy apples. Suddenly the window burst open, letting in the cold and splashing them all with water.

Rajah ran over to the window and struggled with it to get it to close, but every time he nearly got it shut it pushed back and hit his head. Monkey joined him, and together they managed to get the window closed and locked.

"Wow, there must be a lot of wind out there. I'm surprised you guys didn't get blown off the mountain," corset said, handing Rajah a rag to dry his fur off. Tigress, Po, and Shifu plodded into the room. They were soaked to the skin and shivering, their clothes had turned a shade darker after the rain mixed with the fibers. Corset sighed.

"I'll go get towels."

Tigress rubbed her upper arms to get the heat back. "I don't know where this storm is coming from. It's been sunny all week. And surprisingly warm for October."

"Yeah, it's like it came out of nowhere," Monkey added.

"Maybe it's the forces of darkness out to get us," corset said darkly, returning with a stack of warm, fluffy pink towels.

"Oh please. There's no such thing," Shifu insisted.

"Sure there is! On nights like this, you know, a dark, stormy night is when all the freaky stuff starts happening. Like weird voices, creaking sounds in every corridor, the lights going out suddenly…" The window flew open and more rain poured in, putting out the lamps and sending the group into complete darkness.

"Talk about timing," Mantis joked.

Tigress ignored him and felt around. "Where's the lamp? We need to see before we all crash into each other."

"You see what happens when you doubt the forces of darkness? They don't like being pushed under the rug," corset scolded.

Shifu scoffed. "Don't get into that silly nonsense. It was just the wind."

Po shook his head, despite the fact that no one could see him, "I don't know, Master. This is just like an old ghost story. All the lights go out, and then when they get turned back on there's one person missing."

"OW!"

"Who was that?" Viper asked.

"It was me. I got hit by the window again," Rajah responded. There was a loud slam, and suddenly the cold and wind stopped.

"Thanks for closing that. I hope no one catches pneumonia," Crane said.

"Um, I didn't close it. I thought Master Monkey closed it," Rajah responded.

"It wasn't me either," Monkey added.

"Finally!"

A small light filled the room, Tigress holding it up and smiling.

"Is everyone ok?" Shifu asked.

"Is everyone here?" Po questioned.

"Of course everyone's here! Where would they go in complete darkness?" Tigress demanded.

"Wait, where's corset?" Rajah asked frantically. They all swiveled their heads around.

"I knew it! Corset was the first one to go! And who know whose next…" Po squeaked. Tigress rolled her eyes.

A spooky, menacing voice growled, "I am one of the forces of darkness, and I… am here… TO KILL YOU!!"

A figure popped up and screamed, and everyone screamed with it fearfully. But the figure's screaming turned to laughter as another lamp was lit. Corset was laughing her head off. Tigress clenched her teeth together, and Rajah rushed to her side and enveloped her in a hug.

"I was afraid you were a goner! Don't scare me like that," he said tenderly, stroking her cheek. Corset's laughter subsided and she shrugged; only half smiling now.

"The forces of darkness had to be avenged," she explained simply. Shifu cleared his throat, and the two love struck teenagers snapped out of it and almost immediately separated.

"We should probably get some more light into this place and wait out the storm," Crane suggested. They all split up to find lamps, candles, and to change into clothes that weren't holding two or three pints of rain water.

But as they did this, what they really needed to see was on the outside of the bunkhouse. On the other side of the wooden window of the kitchen was a message, written in a red substance that was _not_ candy apple coating.

_**THIS IS ONLY BEGINNING. BEWARE.**_

A/N: O. M. G. Kung Fu Panda comes out on DVD on November 9, according to . **_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_** Oh my gosh, I am FREAKING OUT!! I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE DVD RELEASE! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! And here's something extra for all the TigressxTai Lung fans out there.

www. youtube .com/ watch?v VRRNdNrh1g4&feature related

You see this link? Copy/paste it into the address bar and remove any necessary spaces. Also, add in an equals sign after the lower case v and the word feature. See where it leads. Sorry about all the complicated instructions, but won't support links, or at least it doesn't preserve them after saving a document, so this is the only way I can get it to you. But it is worth it. It's awesome and it will BLOW YOUR MIND. I AM USING A LOT OF ALL CAPS FOR THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE. By the way, in a recent review by SkytheHawk (by the way, thanks SkytheHawk for the review!), she invited me to use her OC Sky in my story. If anyone wants me to include one of their characters in here, PM me and I'll see if I can fit them in. I'm not making any promises, just an offer. Holla!


	3. Haunted Spikes

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 3- Haunted Spikes

All was well in the Jade Palace. Po and the Five had sunk back into their normal routine, despite the fact that corset was constantly gabbing on and on about the party, going over random details out loud to herself.

Tigress had asked Rajah "how the hell he listened to her and didn't want to rip her head off or at least her vocal cords". He had smiled and merely said this: "To tell you the truth, I don't really listen to what she's actually talking about. I focus more on her voice. She has a really pretty voice; I could listen to it forever."

Tigress had to give him credit for that one, and told him he was sweet for saying that about her.

Shifu had become a bit agitated by the fact of Rajah's existence, but after a bit of compromise with corset, he stopped harshly interrogating Rajah at every chance he got.

"Master Shifu, I don't see what this has to do with kung fu!" Corset was currently standing on her head, and her face was starting to turn red.

"It increases endurance and helps your balance," he explained.

"You know, it's not really fair of you to threaten to kick my boyfriend out of the Valley of Peace. I mean, we didn't have to come!" she argued angrily.

"True. However, _I _didn't have to let you stay. Therefore, I'll make the rules. And I don't think a little kung fu training in exchange for letting him stay is that terrible, hm?" he asked. She scowled and stuck out her tongue. He chuckled and lightly hit her hand with his flute.

"Ow!"

She fell to the floor. "You know that means you have to do it again," he noted. The doors to the training hall burst open. Po and Tigress tumbled inside.

"It's raining again," Po reported.

"Really? I'm sure they couldn't tell that by the fact that we're dripping water all over the floor!" Tigress snapped.

"Whoa, someone forgot to take her medicine this morning! What's up with you?" Corset asked.

"I do NOT take medication, thank you!" Tigress seethed. Then she proceeded onto destroying the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion.

"Rain makes her cranky sometimes. It's nothing personal," Po whispered.

Corset still rolled her eyes and got back up on her head. "What's going on here?" Tigress stalked back over. "Who turned off the obstacle course? I nearly got knocked out when one of them came towards me before it was supposed to!"

"Don't look at me!" Po said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Tigress looked down to corset's face. "What? I've been upside down! How am I supposed to turn off the obstacle course while I'm standing on my head?" corset asked.

"Master Shifu? Master Tigress?" Rajah came in through the doors, wet and looking a little fretful.

"Something's wrong. Master Crane and Master Viper were in the Hall of Warriors, but now the door is stuck and they can't get out!" he explained. Corset fell off her head.

"Whoa. Freaky. It's just like in scary movies," she said excitedly. Tigress rolled her eyes and headed out the door.

"Come on. Let's get them out." She pushed the door, but it didn't open. Even when she and Po were pushing on the door with all their strength, it wouldn't budge. "Alright, what's going on here, corset? Is this one of your stupid Halloween pranks or something?" Tigress accused.

"I'm not doing this! I didn't go anywhere near that door!" corset defended.

"Stop it, the both of you! We're not going to get out of here arguing like children," Shifu scolded.

Tigress fell silent, but was still scowling at corset, and vice versa. "What happened to you two? You used to be really close the last time corset visited," Po reminded.

"But she wasn't such a stick-in-the-mud last time!" corset sniped.

"I'm sorry that I can't be Miss-perky-and-happy all the time!" Tigress yelled back. A loud roll of thunder went off, and what sounded like a chainsaw on high speed joined it. Tigress and corset immediately stopped fighting. Tigress looked up to see what could possibly be causing this while corset screamed a little and ran into Rajah's arms, hiding her face in his chest.

"There's no need to be scared. It's probably just the wind," Shifu comforted, trying to separate the two.

"Master Shifu, no offence, but the wind does not own a chainsaw!" corset yelped. A maniacal, bone-chilling laugh joined the chainsaw. Corset screamed again and Rajah stroked her back tenderly. Tigress was backing up towards the door, her ears lowered against her head.

"M-master, maybe we should… get out of here!" she shrieked and desperately tried to get the doors open. Po immediately ran to help her. The obstacle course suddenly started, the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion leaping out of their normal track and lashing out towards the group.

"Look out!" Rajah warned, pulling himself and corset down just before one of the clubs swung into them.

"What's going on here?" Master Shifu asked angrily.

"Something tells me the forces of darkness aren't too happy!" corset said fearfully.

"There are no such things as the forces of darkness!" Shifu snapped. The laugh got louder and one of the clubs nicked Rajah's ear.

"Master, do something!" Tigress screamed, still trying to get the doors open.

"Before something happens to us!" Po added. Shifu noticed that one of the clubs swung far back. Just as it would have swung right into him, he jumped on top of it.

The laughter and chainsaw noises stopped and the obstacle course fell silent and still. Tigress and Po both crashed through the doors and hit the wood of the porch outside. They all looked at each other, breathing heavily and their eyes were wide.

"We should see if Crane and Viper are alright," Shifu stated, jumping off the swinging club he was on and acting as if the incident had never happened. Po scrambled up to his feet and bolted down the stairs towards the Hall of Warriors. Tigress stood up and looked out. The ground was soggy and covered with massive puddles that covered all the pathways, but the rain had stopped and the sun had come out to grace the Jade Palace with its warm, comforting glow.

She shook her head. _Don't be fooled, Tigress. There are no such things as the 'forces of darkness'._ She and Master Shifu both followed Po. Rajah and corset were the last to leave.

"At least it's stopped raining," Rajah said hopefully.

Corset smiled at him. "You amaze me. Even after a near death experience with some very sharp spikes, you still are completely collected and calm," she said appreciatively. Rajah merely shrugged.

"As long as you're safe and happy, then I'll be happy." She grinned before grabbing the back of his head and pressing their lips together. He wrapped his arms around her waist before they both broke away for air. She smiled again and rest her head on his chest, sighing. They stayed that way for a few minutes, just being thankful for each other's existence. "

Hey!" They both immediately separated, thinking it was Master Shifu. Instead they saw a very large rhino in complicated armour addressing them. "You two had better go back to the others. There might be another storm coming, you never know at this time of year," he suggested.

Corset nodded and she and Rajah started towards the Hall of Warriors. Corset stopped.

_Wait a minute, who was that guy?_ She spun around. "Who are you any…"

The rhino was gone.

Rajah turned around too. "Did you see him?" she asked.

"Uh… I really think we should go join Master Shifu now," Rajah insisted. Corset nodded and they both sped away from where the apparition encounter had taken place.

A/N: I'm not late! This was posted at exactly 9:23 pm eastern time on october 3, 2008. Sorry about this, but I'm kinda on a tight schedule all the time since I have to update every day. How would you guys feel about posting 7 chapters on Sunday so that I won't be in too over my head? I don't know. Holla!


	4. Who's What?

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. Sorry if that disappoints anyone but me.

--

Chapter 4- Who's What?

_There it is. The Jade Palace. _Silent feet padded up the steps and into the courtyard. It was quiet and empty, and still a little wet from the heavy rain yesterday. He continued past the arena and up to the Hall of Warriors. Master Shifu was meditating before the Moon Pool as the creature made its way towards the red panda.

Everything seemed so familiar. The air still smelled a little of dust from the ancient artifacts and the thousand scrolls. It was at least five to ten degrees cooler than outside, which was very humid. The jade and lapis lazuli of the pillars had a slight glow about them. He focused all his senses on Master Shifu, trying to learn if he knew he was there. But his breathing kept steady and his ears didn't twitch.

"Shifu." The red panda turned around. His eyes immediately dilated as he scanned the figure over. "I have returned home—again," Tai Lung said sagely.

In the bunkhouse, guess who was fighting again! Yup, Tigress and corset. "Come on Tigress, what's it going to take to get you to see what's going on here? Does a floating axe have to chop off your head? And you're only making it worse by not believing in them. The forces of darkness do NOT like to be ignored!" corset yelled.

"They can't like being noticed either, because they don't exist! There are no supernatural beings that control what's going on, it's just coincidence!"

"COINCIDENCE? You think it's a COINCIDENCE that we were all nearly Swiss cheese and that Rajah almost lost an ear, all while someone was evil-laughing and chainsawing away? Right after a battle with a freak window that hit Rajah in the head, like, fifty times? THAT'S A COINCIDENCE?" corset asked.

"Maybe your boyfriend is just accident prone," Tigress countered loftily.

Corset gritted her teeth. "At least _I _have a boyfriend! Maybe if you would think about something other than kung fu for two seconds, a member of the opposite sex might actually be attracted to you!"

Tigress took the defensive. "I think about something other than kung fu!"

"Yeah, right! I think that's the first attempt to say something funny that I've ever heard from you!" corset laughed.

"Men are attracted to me! I'll prove it!" She stalked out of her room, corset close behind. "PO!"

The giant panda tumbled out into the hallway. "What? What's going on?" he asked.

"We need you to settle a little argument. Tell me honestly whether or not you find me attractive," Tigress explained. Po just stood there looking her over. _Oh, man, how do I answer that? I mean, she's drop dead gorgeous and sexy, but what if she takes that the wrong way?_

"Um, yeah, I think you're really pretty." _Pretty?_ He wanted to handpalm himself.

"You see? Po is attracted to me, and last time I checked, he's a male," Tigress said triumphantly.

Corset scoffed. "First of all, I didn't mean that a guy _thinks_ you're attractive. I said that they would be attracted _to_ you. Attraction isn't just thinking that someone is pretty. _I _think you're pretty, but it doesn't mean I'm attracted to you. Attraction means that you have a physical desire for someone."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Keep being as childish as you want. But I'm still right. There are no such things as the forces of darkness." And with the last word, she slipped back into her room and closed the door.

"Ugh!" Corset marched angrily out of the bunkhouse. "How dare she! She's thinks she's so great and always right. Yeah, sure, maybe in her dreams!" Her anger melted away like an ice cream cone hitting the sun's surface.

Taking off in a run, she jumped onto Rajah's back and nearly made him crash to the ground. "Hey, boyfriend," she sang.

"Hey, corset."

She slid off his back and he turned to face her. "What's wrong? You sound so dismal," she commented, sliding her arms around his waist.

"Yes, well… there's something that I need to tell you," he said coldly.

"Okay. What's up?"

"I'm breaking up with you."

"What?" she asked shakily, taking a step back from him, but still keeping her hands at his sides.

"I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore. You're just not my type, or my species for that matter," he explained.

"You're… you're breaking up with me because I'm not a tigress?" she asked, her anger rising again.

"Well, not entirely… let's just say that I'm not very _attracted_ to you anymore." And he walked away from her, a sardonic smile crossing his lips. All the blood drained out of corset's face.

_He's breaking up with me… because I'm not a tigress. Wait, he not _attracted_… he's breaking up with me because he likes TIGRESS! _As much as she didn't want to admit it, a wet, salty tear rolled down her cheek as she sat down on the path and hid her face in her hands.

Po sauntered happily around the kitchen, stirring up vegetables and noodles. After his little confrontation with Tigress and corset, he needed a pick-me-up to shake away the nerves.

"Po?" he turned around to see Tigress leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh, h-hey Tigress. What's up?" he asked, turning back to his soup so that she wouldn't see the very visible blush on his face.

"I want to thank you for helping me with that argument. I swear, corset can be such a handful sometimes," she said, entering the room.

"You and her used to be really close. I'm not sure what happened," he said.

"Still, it was very nice of you to say that I'm pretty. Do you really think that?" she asked.

"Well… yeah. You're probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Po answered reluctantly.

"That's really sweet, Po," Tigress purred, resting her head on his shoulder. He straightened up a little at the close contact. Despite the fact that Tigress had come to respect him and be his friend, she had never touched any part of him unless she was kicking his butt.

"T-tigress?" Po took a step back from her, but she just followed and closed the gap again.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Are… are you feeling alright? No fever? No delirium?" he asked nervously.

"I feel fine. In fact, I feel very, _very _good," she said, tracing his cheek and down his arm.

"You sure?" he asked. His voice was squeaky and cracked.

"Oh, I'm sure." She pulled him down and smashed their lips together. Po's eyes popped out of their sockets before they lulled closed. But before anything else could happen, Tigress broke off, smirking slightly. "See you later."

And she left. Po fell to the floor, landing on his back. "Awesome…"

Crane and Monkey opened the door to the Hall of Warriors. "I think Master Shifu said he was going to be in here," Crane said, looking around. "Master!" Monkey was running towards the Moon Pool. Crane spotted what Monkey was freaking out over and flew as fast as he could. Master Shifu was sprawled at the foot of the Moon Pool.

"Master, what happened?" Monkey asked.

"T-t-tai Lung," Shifu coughed weakly.

"Tai Lung? But he's dead, Master," Crane said soothingly.

"He… he has… r-returned… again. Find him. Please," Shifu whispered, closing his eyes.

"I'll stay with him, you go and get help," Crane said. Monkey nodded and bolted out of there. He saw Viper, who was fighting Tai Lung with all her strength. Monkey almost didn't believe his eyes. _He… he really is back._

"Monkey, get help!" Viper ordered, having spotted him. He ran through the bunkhouse.

"Help! It's Tai Lung! He's returned!" Tigress came out of her room.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

"Outside the Hall of Warriors. Viper's holding him off," Monkey answered. She stormed down the hall. Corset poked her head out next.

"Tai Lung? He's dead, isn't he? Isn't that what you told me?" she asked, her voice weak and cracked. Monkey made a mental note to ask about that later.

"I thought he was, but he's out there fighting Viper! I think you should stay in here, he's very dangerous," he warned.

"Does Master Shifu know?" she asked.

"He's hurt and can barely move. I think Tai Lung attacked him first." Corset went across the hall and into Viper's room.

"Go and get Po and Mantis and help Viper. I'll go take care of Master Shifu." She emerged with medical supplies. They went their separate ways. When corset came upon the fight, Tigress had joined Viper in holding him off.

"I've been waiting since the Thread of Hope for this!" Tigress growled, getting a punch to Tai Lung's face. Part of corset wanted to defend Tai Lung and get her revenge on Tigress, but she shook her head and started towards the Hall of Warriors, glancing back again for a few moments at the snow leopard. Crane was fanning Master Shifu when she entered.

"Crane!"

She slid down the polished floors and knelt down next to the red panda. His chest was still rising and falling, but it was weak. A dribble of blood was coming out of the corner of his mouth.

"He doesn't look too good," Crane fretted. Corset ignored the remark and dipped a washcloth in the Moon Pool, wiping away the blood and sponging Shifu's face.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" she finally asked.

"He's… he's very old… but I'm sure he'll make it. He's had training injuries before…" Crane trailed off.

"Well, this is no training injury. Go out and help the others. I'll fix him up," she ordered. Crane nodded and took off. She continued to sponge his face and neck, wetting the washcloth every so often. Then she squeezed a little bit of the water into his mouth. Maybe it was the sacredness of the pool, or the peach petals that were always floating on the surface, but whatever it was caused the small master to cough and open his eyes.

"Tai Lung. Tai Lung has returned," he babbled, trying to sit up. Corset helped him lean against the single step of the pool's outline.

"I know. The Five and Po are fighting him as we speak," she reported.

"What?" Shifu asked, his eyes opening a little more.

Corset nodded. "We need to get down there and help. I know what to do. Do you need me to carry you?" she asked.

"I may be old and slightly beaten, but I'm not that crippled yet," Shifu said, trying to chuckle.

Corset smiled. She dipped the washcloth into the pool one more time before standing up.

"Then let's go." The battle was going full scale when they arrived. Tai Lung delivered a hard roundhouse kick to Monkey, who expertly dodged it. Corset ran right into the full battle and grabbed Tai Lung's paws, locking their fingers together and pushing back.

"What are you doing?" Tigress yelled. Before she could protest any more, corset whipped out the washcloth and swiped it across Tai Lung's face.

Tai Lung cried out and staggered back, hitting the ground and covering his eyes with his hands.

"What's going on?" Viper asked fearfully. Tai Lung removed his hands. Around them was completely pure white, not even fur, and they had changed from their yellow to a bright ruby red. Corset scoffed.

"Shape shifter."

"A what?" Crane asked. Tai Lung lunged at corset, claws bared and ready to slash. But before they could make contact, there was a loud roar. Rajah pounced into the circle, swiping at Tai Lung's chest, making long cuts. No blood poured out of the wounds. Only a milky white substance leaked out. Rajah stepped back as Tai Lung was turned into a white liquid.

"What… what happened to him?" Mantis asked.

"It wasn't Tai Lung. It was a shape shifter. It can change into whatever it wants and play tricks on people. Not very nice," corset explained.

"Are you alright?" Rajah asked her, hugging her tightly. She nodded and hugged him back, before pushing him to the ground.

"What's the matter with you? You could have been killed!" she screamed.

"I… I wasn't really thinking," he was cut off. "Well no duh! I've never seen anything that stupid in my life!"

"Are you alright, Tigress? I was really worried about you," Po asked, taking her hands.

"Uh… yes… I'm perfectly fine," she stammered, taking back her hands. Po was a little confused at her reluctance. _Wasn't she the one who kissed me? Or was I dreaming?_

"Well thank goodness. You were really impressive," he complemented. And he made the biggest mistake of his life. He hugged her and kissed her cheek. The group collectively gasped, and Tigress slapped Po.

"How did you know it was a shape shifter?" Shifu asked, seeing Tigress' oncoming rage and trying to quickly change the subject.

"When Tigress punched him in the face. If that had been the real Tai Lung that you told me about, she wouldn't have gotten that punch in a million years," corset explained.

"Hey!" Tigress objected. Corset once again ignored her.

"And if I'm not mistaken, the shape shifter has been messing with us all day. It tricked Po into thinking Tigress was in love with him, that Tai Lung had returned, and that Rajah was breaking up with me for Tigress. You just get all the guys, don't you, Tigress?"

"He made Po think what?" she demanded, a fire lighting in her eyes.

"So… you don't like me?" Po asked sheepishly. Tigress turned to him and smiled supportively.

"Well, I like you as a friend. But if you ever kiss me without my permission again, you'll get worse than a slap," she warned playfully, whacking his ear lightly.

"You know I'm not attracted to Master Tigress in any way other than friendship, right?" Rajah asked, pulling corset aside.

"For your sake, you'd better not be," she snapped.

"Well it's true. I only have eyes for you," he whispered, hugging her close and pressing a kiss to her neck. She smiled and snuggled into his embrace.

"I like where this is going. Keep talking."

Back with the rest of the group, they were contemplating on what to do about the recent events. "I'm a little bit worried, Master. What's going on here? This can't all just be happening for no reason," Viper said.

Shifu stared off into space. "I… I don't know. But I assure you I intend to find out."

Tigress bit her lip. _Maybe… maybe corset is right about the forces of darkness. Maybe they do exist. _She looked back at the pool of white that was the imposter before feeling a chill in the air and rubbing her arms to try and make it go away.

A/N: I'm behind schedule, I know, but I had a really busy weekend and fell asleep when I was supposed to be writing. But if it is the last thing I do, I will get back on track! BTW, here's another link.

www. scifi. com /scifiwire/ print .php? id60010

Just take out the spaces and insert an equals sign after id and before 60010. Important Kung Fu Panda news! Holla!


	5. From Africa

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda.

--

Chapter 5- From Africa

The Five and Po decided to take a day off, considering what had been happening to them for the past few days. Po was visiting his father at the noodle shop, and Viper and Crane had accompanied him. The rest of the group was also spending their time in the village, just goofing off and enjoying the day.

"Come on, corset, I'm your boyfriend! You have to let me spoil you a little," Rajah persuaded.

"I'm not letting you buy me anything! I want to pay for it myself," she insisted.

"But if I buy you something and you always carry it with you, then you'll think of me everywhere you go," he defended, lacing their fingers together and kissing her thumb. She smiled and stroked his cheek.

"Rajah, you have to be the sweetest tiger that I have ever met. But I'm not letting you buy me anything, so don't think anymore on it."

"Just let him buy you something, corset! You get something, and he stops bugging you," Tigress said, looking over a stall of jewelry.

Corset smirked. "Finding something pretty to show off to Po?" she asked.

"That was not me!" Tigress yelled back. Corset just shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Tigress. Whatever you say." She drifted away from the two tigers, just watching the crowds and the merchants.

"Excuse me, pretty girl." Corset spun around to face a lion boy. His mane was only beginning to grow in, framing his face with golden fur.

"Are you talking to me?" she asked.

He nodded. "My name is Juma. I hate to ask this of a stranger, but I need an extra coin to afford a small bag of salt for my mama. She needs it to make our family food for today," he explained.

She smiled and reached into her coin purse, bringing out the coin he needed plus two extra. "Get a loaf of bread, too. Your family is probably very hungry." He grinned at her and kissed her hand.

"Thank you very much, pretty lady." He paused for a moment. "Would you come with me? I may need help finding somewhere to buy these." She nodded.

"Alright." She took him by the hand and showed him the best bread stall and a place to buy good salt for a low price, considering its great worth.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you… but if you believe in knowing the future, then I could take you to see my mama. She a fortuneteller. She can tell you whatever you need to know," he said.

She smiled a little. "A fortuneteller. Sounds interesting. Show me the way, and I'll follow." He grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her through the throngs of people. He led her to a bonfire, where a group of lions were sitting and chatting away.

"Mama!" A beautiful lioness stood up and wiped her paws on her apron.

"There you are, Juma. Did you finish your errands?" she asked.

"Yes mama. And this is my friend who I met in the market. She helped me find the salt, and look!" He held up the loaf of bread.

"Well, where did this come from? I hope you thanked her as graciously as you could," his mother said.

"I thought maybe you could tell her fortune. To repay her for her kindness," Juma suggested.

His mother smiled. "I think that is a wonderful idea. Come with me, young lady." Corset followed her past the fire, where she left the bread and salt with a male lion, who she guessed was Juma's father. They stopped at a large circle in the dirt.

"Come, child. Sit with me here, at the edge of this circle." Corset kneeled next to her. "My name is Penda. Yours?" she asked kindly, taking out a drawstring bag.

"My friends call me corset."

Penda smiled. "Well, corset, here are the tools that I will be using to bring your future out of the darkness and into our minds." She showed corset the contents of the bag. There were cowry shells, small pieces of wood, bits of bone, and a feather.

"Each of these objects has a different meaning, but when brought together, they reveal the greatest of secrets and both joy and sorrow. Now what I need you to do is take the objects into your hands." Corset cupped her hands and accepted the various artifacts. "Now close your hands tight around them and kiss your outer palm." Corset did what she was told. Penda's voice lowered to a whisper.

"Now throw them into the circle."

The trinkets scattered everywhere, making a huge jumble of pieces. Penda leaned over the circle as she studied its content. "You have a love in your life, am I mistaken?" she asked. Corset smiled and nodded, Rajah flowing back into her mind. "Good. A young girl at your age should be fawned over as much as possible."

Corset shrugged. "My love offered to buy me something from the market place, but I turned him down because I don't want him to spoil me," she explained.

"Well now's a terrible day to do it. Your love will reach new heights, and he will be looking to express that. And… a new friend will find his way into your heart," Penda told her.

Corset just nodded. "And also… I see a great conflict coming towards you."

"Really? What does it want?" she asked.

Penda glanced at her for a moment before saying, "I'm afraid that's all I see. Forgive me," she said.

"Of course, it was well worth it. If you stay in two until the end of the month, you should come and visit me."

"Before you go, child…" Penda reached behind her and handed her a large, heavy bound book. "Keep that safe. It's a family heirloom." Corset looked over the cover, but there was only a small sapphire instead of a title.

"Are you sure? Corset asked. Penda nodded.

"You should probably go; your friends are looking for you."

"Do you miss Africa?" corset asked.

Penda looked out into the distance for a moment. "It's the most beautiful place I will ever know." Corset smiled one last time before shaking Penda's hand and thanking her, heading off to see her friend with the book under her arm. Juma smiled at her as she left, and she smiled back. She found Tigress and Rajah frantically searching around, calling her name.

"Hey. What's up?" she asked, grasping Rajah's hand. Rajah immediately hugged her.

"I was wondering where you went. I thought you might be lost."

She shrugged and kissed his cheek. "You know how I am—just sneaking off into the darkness."

"Well next time, tell us before you do. Who knows what's going to happen next," Tigress mumbled. Corset giggled and squeezed Rajah's hand. On their way back, corset opened the book to the first page.

In beautiful letters on the cover read, "A fortuneteller's guide to the supernatural". Corset smiled.


	6. The Welcome Guest

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 6- The Welcome Guest

This time it was corset that was happily skipping around the courtyard as everyone watched. "I'm sooo excited! Sky will be here any minute!" she shrieked happily.

"Do you know this Sky person?" Crane asked Viper. Viper shook her head.

"I don't even know her. I think it's one of her friends from America," Rajah interjected. According to corset, she had made a small two-week trip to India about a month before she came to the Jade Palace. That's when she met Rajah.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door. Corset flung the doors open and hugged the fox that was pulled through the gate. "I'm so glad to see you!" corset freaked as pulled back to look at the fox. She smirked at her coconut white fur. "Sky, you're the only person I know who's whiter than processed sugar." Sky blushed, the red clearly visible on her cheeks. "Exhibit A," corset added.

Sky laughed and hugged corset again. "I haven't seen you since your last trip to New York. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm great. I have someone to show you! One gorgeous boyfriend," corset answered keenly, grasping Rajah's hand. Rajah grinned at her and slid his arm around her waist, stopping at her hip. Master Shifu frowned and cleared his throat, but the teens paid him no mind.

"Wow, you aren't kidding! Hi, I'm Sky, and if you and corset break up, I will gladly be your shoulder to cry on," Sky said, shaking his hand. Rajah laughed a little.

"Well, I don't think that will be happening any time soon, sorry." They all laughed together.

Sky stuck her hands into the front pocket of her green pullover sweatshirt, which was decorated with flames. "So, for the rest of the introductions, let's see if we can get this done in one swing," corset took a deep breath, "Sky, this is Po, Monkey, Mantis, Crane, Tigress, Viper, and Master Shifu. Everyone that I just said, this is Sky. She's from New York, and is really awesome!" Sky smiled and waved, shaking everybody's hands.

"And you should hear her sing. She's amazing," corset added.

Sky blushed again. "Well… I'm alright. It's corset that has the real voice."

"We could sing for them later," corset proposed.

"Alright, that sounds cool. But we should probably do some rehearsals or something," Sky said. And they both skipped off to corset's room, arms linked.

Sky rifled through the CDs she had brought. "So what kind of song were you thinking of? Hip Hop, rap? Come on, work with me!" she said in mock anger, playfully throwing a CD down on the bed.

Corset shrugged. "I guess I can't think of a good CD song." Her face slowly lit up. "Come with me." She dragged Sky out of the bunkhouse and to the training hall.

"Um, corset, no offense, but I don't think that we're going to get much done in here," Sky observed, looking over the obstacle course.

"It's not like you couldn't take this head on. But it's not the obstacle course that we came here for," corset said. She pushed open two doors that were cleverly concealed to look like the normal walls. Inside there was only one thing.

A baby grand piano.

"When did you get this?" Sky asked, running her fingertips over it.

"I've been saving up for quite a while to get this baby. But don't tell Master Shifu about it, he doesn't know yet," corset explained, taking a seat on the piano bench and motioning for Sky to take a seat next to her. She did as corset took out some sheet music and set it up, before placing her fingers on the keys and beginning to play.

**Corset: Beware the danger that lurks for those who get swept away **

**The dreamers get punished most, by the truth **

**They say was all in a little ways**

**One reveals their love's gone away**

**Love's gone away**

**When my hand was in your hand, my heart was pure**

**Now I see a different man, rewriting memories **

**The dogs run down the beach and all I'm left with is sand in my shoes**

**Sand in my shoes**

**Fools like me **

**Oh we love blindly**

**And the cracks don't count**

**It's got to break in front of me**

Sky quickly picked up the rhythm and started singing too.

**Sky: Now I recall a time at the café**

**A thunderstorm outside, words you could never say **

**They hold the loudest tones **

**You'll say you write**

**But it's just ink on the page**

**Just ink on a page**

**Fools like me**

**Oh we love blindly**

**And the cracks don't count**

**It's got to break in front of me**

**Tic toc the time**

**Distant look grows in your eyes**

**And fools never ask**

**Afraid what lurks in your mind**

**I always knew, somehow, always knew**

**I always knew the truth.**

Corset played a solo in light arias while Sky turned the pages.

**Corset and Sky: Fools like me**

**Oh we never see**

**Cause the cracks don't count**

**It has to break in front of me**

**And it's breakin'**

**It's breaking**

**It's got to break in front of me**

**Corset: At least I can say**

**I was not afraid**

**I loved you all the way**

**I'd pick the fool any day**

Sky grinned. "If we do as well as we did now, we'll knock 'em dead!"

"Don't even make threats like that. With all the weird stuff that's been happening around here, I'm not sure what to believe anymore," Tigress said dryly. Corset and Sky realized that everyone in the Jade Palace had heard them the entire time.

"Great! This means we don't have to do a repeat," corset said happily.

A/N: What did I tell you, Sky? Ask and ye shall receive. There is Sky! I hope that I got her character right and all. If I didn't then tell me what I need to do and I promise I'll fix it to the best of my abilities. Oh, and before I forget, the song is Fools Like Me by Vanessa Carlton. Holla!


	7. Part One, Silver Mist

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 7- Part 1: Silver Mist

Corset yawned, tired from a long day, but unable to sleep. So she headed to the kitchen for a something to calm her brain before trying to sleep again.

Sky had left that morning for New York. Corset had promised to pop over for Christmas break so that they could go window shopping at Macy's and see a few shows on Broadway. Then she had to spar with Tigress to keep her side of the bargain with Master Shifu. Fun? Not so much.

She poured some milk into a small pan and turned the heat on low. She smiled a little as she remembered how her mother used to do this for her when she couldn't sleep, and always let her stir in a little cinnamon for a treat.

She momentarily thought about waking Rajah up and asking him to join her, but then voted against it. _No matter how cute he is, he needs his rest._ _He's already under pressure from Master Shifu to be an "honorable young man", I shouldn't weigh him down with my problems. _

Ever since lunch, she had felt a slight uneasiness in the air, like something was wrong. Out of place. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something. She lightly rubbed her upper arms. It was a little chilly that night.

After a few more moments of waiting for her milk, she gave it one last stir before grabbing a ladle and pouring the stuff into a cup.

She put the drink to her lips and turned to leave. But something made her stop short and drop the cup to the ground, shattering the porcelain and sending milk everywhere.

A silver mist was coming in through the door to the kitchen. Corset's eyes widened to the size of volleyballs. The mist started to rise and gather in the kitchen doorway. Before long, it materialized into something that could be recognized and defined. Something you could see.

Or more accurately, something you could see through.

She managed to sputter out two words. "T-tai Lung?"

The apparition of a snow leopard scanned up and down her. "Who the hell are you?"

A/N: Sorry about the short chapter, but it's been a long day and this is only part one, so I'll try to make the next one as long as I can. I promise! Holla!


	8. Part Two, Some Sort of Agreement

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 8- Some Sort of Agreement

Corset just stared at Tai Lung. "Well? Who are you? Answer me!" he demanded, taking a step toward her. She took a step back, backing up into the counter. "ANSWER!"

"Corset! My name is corset," she answered, shrinking back.

"What kind of name is that?" he asked.

"What are you doing here? I mean, how are you here? Master Shifu told me you were dead. Clearly he was correct," corset stuttered, looking straight through his body to see the other side of the kitchen.

"What? What are you talking about?" Tai Lung asked.

Corset's eyebrows rose. "You're dead. You know. Dead. Deceased. Passed on. Living impaired. Need I continue?" she asked.

"I'm not dead," Tai Lung refused.

"Excuse me? I can see right through you. Literally. Sorry, but that's not a common trait of the living," she countered. Tai Lung looked down at his body for half a second and then shook his head. "How can you possibly not know that you're dead?" corset asked, half laughing.

Tai Lung gritted his teeth. _She's definitely pushing it. _"I'm not dead! I don't remember dying," he insisted.

"Well just because you don't remember doesn't mean it didn't happen," she noted. At that moment, Po came in, stretching and yawning loudly. Both corset and Tai Lung froze, their eyes wide. Po jumped when his eyes landed on corset.

"Gah! Oh, geez, you scared me! What are you doing up?" he asked, rummaging through cabinets.

"Um…" Corset glanced at Tai Lung, whose face was now contorting with rage. "I… I couldn't sleep. What are you doing up?" she asked nervously.

"Midnight snack. Want something?" he offered. She shook her head. Tai Lung's claws had unsheathed themselves and were begging to have a go at the panda.

"Um, Po, maybe you should go to bed. It's… not very healthy to be eating this late. It's bad for… your digestive system." She was lying through her teeth, but it was the only thing she could come up with.

"Oh, well… alright. I'll just take this back to my room," Po said. He gathered up the large pile of food and headed out the door. Corset released the breath she was holding. Tai Lung started for the door.

"Oh, hold on, where do you think you're going?" corset asked, grabbing Tai Lung's arm.

"Going after that lazy bum and going to give what he deserves," Tai Lung replied.

"So why didn't Po see you when he came into the kitchen?" corset asked.

Tai Lung remained silent. "See! You can't deny it, you're dead!"

Tai Lung looked at his hands. He could see the floor through them. "Wha… what happened to me?"

Corset felt a pang of guilt in her heart. _No, no, no! He's the bad guy, remember? He nearly killed Master Shifu and Po __**and**__ the Five! Just because he's dead but doesn't know… and is really confused and doesn't know what to do… and doesn't have anyone to turn to… oh, damn it. _

"Look, um… I'm really sorry about your… condition," she said sympathetically, choosing her words carefully.

"I don't need pity," he snapped.

She bit her lip. "Okay. If you don't want me to be here, then I'll leave." She headed for the door.

"Wait!"

Corset stopped and turned around. "You… you don't have to leave. I'm not even supposed to be here," he said quietly.

"Where are you supposed to be?" she asked.

"I… I don't know."

"Well, aren't you supposed to be in heaven?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding me, right? After all the things I've done? I'm lucky I'm not burning in hell," he said.

"Maybe you're being given a second chance," she offered.

"A second chance for what? My life was destroyed by greed and pride, there's nothing left to take a second chance on." He shook his head. "Why am I telling you this? You're a child, you don't know anything about this kind of thing."

Corset shrugged. "I've been told that I'm very mature for my age, when I want to be. Besides, it's not like you've got anyone else." Tai Lung paused and sighed. Then their eyes connected and he smiled.

And they understood each other.

A/N: Some of my reviewers wanted Tai Lung, so here he is, in ghost form! Oh, I am so evil. Or at least I hope I am.

www. youtube .com /watch?v kLiq2YyFwzQ&feature related

Here's another YouTube video for you guys about a tiger. This one's kind of sad. But it's still a good video. Add in equals signs after 'feature' and '?v'. Holla!


	9. Snow White Tigress

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 9- Snow White Tigress

Tigress smiled. The Jade Palace was quiet. That was unusual, since there had been something strange going on almost every single day. But she was grateful for it. _The sun is out, it's nice and warm, and I haven't picked one fight with corset—come to think of it, I haven't seen her at all._

She had promised Master Shifu that she would try to get along with the teenage girl, but it was proving difficult. Tigress just didn't understand her. _The forces of darkness. Yeah right. I can't believe I almost thought something that silly was real. She does know how to make a convincing point, though. _

Po had been a little more forward to her since the whole "shape shifter Tigress" thing, and she didn't exactly appreciate it. _Seriously, can't the guy take a hint? It wasn't me who kissed him! Just a very good likeness. _

Truth be told, Tigress had never been kissed, or given a kiss. Not that she would admit that out loud, where corset could eavesdrop and taunt her about it for the rest of their lives. And Tigress was a bit envious that she was twenty-five and still a lip virgin while corset and Rajah were probably having a make out session as she contemplated this.

But what Tigress was more envious of was how crazy Rajah was about corset. Every other word that came out of his mouth was about corset, he was always doing nice things for her, he practically ate and breathed her. And Tigress wanted something like that. Someone that would think of nothing but her and fawn over her and say how beautiful she was. But no such luck.

_I suppose that my line of study is just too demanding. Besides, who needs men? I'm perfectly fine on my own. I don't need to have a man in my life. I don't need someone to hold my hand… or kiss my cheek… or to let me sit in his lap and snuggle when it's cold out. I can be single. _

At heart, Tigress was a romantic, but she kept these locked tight away where they belonged. In the deepest crevices of her heart.

"Master Tigress!" She turned towards the voice, and then inwardly sighed. It was Chen Hu, a tiger who was a farmer in the west part of the Valley. She had only spoken to him a few times after tournaments and in the marketplace. He and Po were good friends, and Chen Hu always gave him a discount on vegetables if he would send a pot of Secret Ingredient Soup to his farm. Corset had become instant friends with him when they met.

And Tigress happened to have a teeny tiny crush on him. But not much.

"I'm glad I finally found you. Master Crane and Master Mantis told me you might be here." Tigress silently cursed them. They were always teasing her about him and how the bravest woman in all of China couldn't even ask a simple farmer out on a date. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch. With me. I thought you could use a break from all your training," he offered.

Tigress spotted the white lilies in his hand. She sighed. _He is very thoughtful… no. I can't possibly, I'm not ready for this. _"I… I don't think so, Chen Hu. It's not that I don't want to, I've just… already eaten."

A hurt look crossed Chen Hu's face. "Oh. Well, maybe some other time." She nodded.

"Here. I brought these for you." She felt her face heat up as she accepted the flowers.

"Oh, thank you. They're beautiful."

He grinned sheepishly and blushed. "You're welcome. I saw them on the way here, and um, I thought of you, so I decided to bring them. I'm glad you like them," he stammered.

She nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you later." Tigress watched him until he disappeared down. She sighed and sniffed the lilies. Their sweet smell filled her and made her heart flutter.

_This is probably why I don't have a boyfriend. I'm too much of a coward to even accept a date. I'd probably make a fool of myself anyway. What's the point?_

She ran her fingers over the delicate white petals as she headed back towards the training hall.

"So what do you think you need to find?" Tigress' ears pricked and she flitted her eyes to find corset sitting in the grass by herself. "Well don't ask me, you're the one who needs it."

Tigress shook her head. _I should have seen this coming. _"Corset?" Corset jumped and met her eyes.

"What the hell, Tigress? Can't I get some privacy around here?" she yelled.

"Well I'm sorry for overhearing you talking to yourself!" Tigress snapped back.

"How long were you standing there?" corset demanded. Tigress ignored the question.

"Who were you pretending to talk to anyway? Your imaginary friend?"

"It's none of your business!" Corset spotted the lilies in Tigress' hand. "Ooh, where'd you get those?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. Tigress glanced down at the flowers before hiding them behind her back.

"Tigress has a boyfriend, Tigress has a boyfriend! And here I thought you were married to your craft—unless kung fu gave you those," corset teased.

"Actually, Rajah gave them to me." It was a cheap shot, but she wouldn't let corset get the best of her this time. She would win the argument for once. Corset's teasing smile faded and she scowled a little, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Really? Well that was nice of him. He's always doing things like that for people. You know, the ones that he feels sorry for and wants to lift their spirits a bit." Ouch. Tigress glared at her.

"I was just about to go put them in some water. They'll look absolutely lovely on the kitchen table, don't you think?" she asked. Corset's scowl deepened. "I'll see you later." Tigress began to walk back down the path, but corset blocked her path.

"I know that Rajah didn't give you those. He's been with Monkey all day, learning some kung fu from him. Tigress, you don't have to lie to make yourself bigger. Everyone already thinks you're the greatest thing to grace the Jade Palace." And she shoved the doors to the training hall open with a loud bang and went inside.

Tigress gritted her teeth and headed off to the bunkhouse. As she arranged the flowers in a small vase in her room, her angry thoughts brewed and got stronger like a pot of black coffee. _Making myself bigger… if she wasn't so annoying, then maybe I wouldn't feel like I had to be better than her. The greatest thing to grace the Jade Palace, yeah right. Only in my dreams. _

She felt her stomach cramp as it called out for nourishment. Despite the excuse she used to get out of making a fool of herself in front of Chen Hu, she was starving after having skipped breakfast.

She strolled over to the kitchen for a light snack. It wasn't lunch yet, but she was surprised that Po wasn't already in there preparing soup or dumplings. As she rummaged through the pantry, she thought, _He's probably down at the market buying groceries. There's nothing in any of these. _

She did discover a single peach in one of the cabinets._ I suppose it's better than nothing. _She took it off the shelf and washed it carefully. She gazed at her lilies and felt the soft fuzz of the peach underneath her fingers.

_Chen Hu… ugh, how could I have been so stupid? I should have just gone out to lunch with you. Then I wouldn't have been stuck with eating peach-for-one. _

She glumly took a bite out of the peach. The fuzz tickled her lip and the juices sunk into her tongue. She felt something get caught in her throat, and tried to cough it out. But her vision went fuzzy and she blacked out, slumping out of the chair and onto the floor.

The peach rolled out of her hand and across the floor.

Corset entered stage left. "Tigress, I want to apologize for…" Her eyes widened when she saw Tigress. "Oh my god."

"Corset? I was thinking about going down to the village to get something to eat. Want to come?" Rajah asked, coming to her side. He snapped his fingers in front of her blank face. "Corset? What's wrong?" He followed her eyes to the still body on the floor. "Oh no, what happened to her?"

They both ran to Tigress' side and corset gently shook her. "Come on, Tigress, this isn't funny! I was wrong and I shouldn't have said what I did, you don't have to pull something like this!" Tigress didn't move or make a sound. Corset shook her harder. "Get up! This is so not cool, Tigress!"

"I don't think she's waking up," Rajah said.

"Go get help, I'll keep trying," she ordered. He nodded and ran from the room, calling Master Shifu's name.

"She's dead? Pity," Tai Lung commented, tossing the peach up and down.

"Don't say that, she's not dead!" corset yelled.

"You're probably right, she'd already be annoying me by now if she were. But she's headed there," he agreed.

She glared at him, but turned her gaze to the peach. "What is that?" she asked, swiping it from his hand.

He shrugged. "I found it on the floor." Corset furrowed her eyebrows and inspecting it, looking at the bite mark and identifying it as Tigress'.

"What's going on in here?" Rajah had returned with Master Shifu and Viper. Viper's eyes were wide and her tail was covering her mouth. Master Shifu came to Tigress' side and pressed a large ear to her chest. "I don't hear any breathing." He took her wrist in his hand. "But there's a pulse. She's still alive."

The tension in the room relaxed a bit. "We need to get her to a doctor before it's too late," he said. Rajah quickly and carefully picked her up.

"Go and alert the rest of the Five and Po, then meet us down in the village," Shifu ordered to Viper. She nodded and left.

"Come. We don't have much time. And be careful with her. The last thing she needs is a fall." They carried Tigress down the steps as quickly as they could. As they went through the village, people stopped and stared when they saw the Tiger Master lying unconscious in Rajah's arms.

Chen Hu rushed up to them when they passed. "What happened?" he asked corset frantically.

"I'm not sure. I came into the kitchen and she was just lying on the floor and not moving. We're taking her to the doctor. You want to come with?" she offered, seeing the worry in his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks."

The village physician, Anubis, was even more shocked after he examined her. "There's no sign of anything that could've happened to her. No wounds, no cuts, not even a scrape. And you said you found her on the floor, passed out?" he asked. Corset nodded, her face ashen. "Well, there's two more likely ways that this could've gone. She could just have fainted and needs some time before waking up, or there could be something going on that I can't see, like a blood clot in her brain," he told them.

"What if it is something wrong with her brain?" Crane asked.

"That's the bad news. If it is in the brain, there's not much that I can do for her. It'll be far too late by now to save her," he said grimly.

"Doctor," corset stepped forward. "Um, I found this in the kitchen when I found her." She handed him the peach.

He looked at it. "Well, well, this could make a difference." He gently pressed down on Tigress' throat. "Yup, now I see the problem. She's choking as we speak on a piece of this," he said, holding up the fruit.

"So how do we get it out?" Mantis asked.

"Our best chance is to perform the Heimlich maneuver and see if it pops out." He pressed down hard on her abdomen a few times, then put his ear to her chest. "I don't hear anything different. I could try surgery, if you're willing to take that sort of risk. I don't think she'll die in the procedure, but there's always that small chance." All eyes turned to Master Shifu. He took a deep breath.

"Do whatever you have to do."

Everyone's eyes dilated, but obeyed when they were told to leave so that Anubis could prepare.

Chen Hu stared down at Tigress, unable to move. He touched her hand. It was cold. "Please, Master Tigress, don't do this to me. I haven't even had a chance to take you out to lunch yet. I can't lose you now." He cautiously pressed his lips to hers. "Please wake up."

She didn't move. He sighed and closed his eyes, turning to the door. A slight cough turned his attention back to the tigress. She coughed again, this time much harder. A lump of light orange came out of her mouth, and she sat up, coughing and rubbing her throat.

"Master Tigress!" He grinned at her and ran to her side, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him, confused. "Chen Hu?"

He nodded. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You were choking on this and they had to bring you down to see the doctor. You're in his house right now," he explained, showing her the peach. She looked around her, dazed.

"I—I don't remember choking."

Anubis entered again, carrying a scalpel. "Well, that was lucky. I almost had to perform surgery on you, Tigress," he explained.

"Surgery?"

Anubis nodded. "You had that peach stuck pretty tight in there. I'd better go tell your friends that you're alright." He put down the scalpel and left again.

"So… how did the peach get out? I remember coughing it up, but I didn't remember anything past taking a bite out of it and a tug at my throat," she said hazily.

Chen Hu blushed, "Um, well, right before you coughed it out—please don't be angry with me—I kissed you."

Tigress' eyes widened and looked up at him. "You… you kissed me?"

He nodded uneasily. A small smile adorned her face. She reached up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. And if you're not busy later, I would love to go to dinner with you."

Slightly shocked, Chen Hu nodded. "I would love that, Master Tigress. Any time."

"Good. We can go tonight. And it's just Tigress. That's what all my friends call me," she said. He nodded and grinned.

"Sure, Tigress. Tonight would be wonderful." They both gazed into each other's eyes before everyone flooded into the room. Corset flung her arms around Tigress' neck.

"Oh praise god you're ok! I'm sorry for everything I said, I didn't mean it!" she apologized. Tigress hugged her back.

"I forgive you. And thank you for being worried about me."

"Corset, don't kill her. We've had enough of that possibility for one day," Po said. Corset let go and stepped away from Tigress. Before the inevitable barrage of questions and talk could begin, Shifu ordered, "Everybody out now. Tigress needs to rest."

And eventually, after much arguing and complaining, the examination room was once again empty. Chen Hu was the last to leave, looking back at Tigress and smiling. She blushed and smiled back.

And the last thing she thought of before she fell asleep was imagining her and Chen Hu lying in a huge garden of white lilies, arms wrapped around each other and lips connected passionately.

A/N: I'm rather proud of this chapter. It's my longest so far, and there's romance in it! Oh, how I missed the toils and joys of the heart playing out on my computer screen! I'm back baby! Whoo! And you can thank my mom for this chapter, cuz when I was brainstorming for ideas for chapters, she mentioned poisoned apples, which made me think of the Sacred Peach Tree, which lead to a poisoned peach. Snow white is not one of my favorite disney movies, but I can't make a chapter in this based on The Lion King or The Jungle Book, my two favorites. Oh well. Holla!


	10. Another Explanation

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 10- Another Explanation

_**The purpose of this endurance cast,**_

_**Ten days and nights have come to pass,**_

_**Along with toil and celebration**_

_**Only with acceptance be there liberation.**_

_**And through the night's cold nipping breath,**_

_**A hollow sadness fills the air**_

_**Pain and sorrow will come to rest**_

_**But only as far as the heart will dare.**_

_**The clock ticks on with no remorse**_

_**And time stops for no man.**_

**_But as on October 31__st_**

_**When the hand strikes thirteen,**_

_**Will time amend.**_

_**So bring about this time of change, and never try to stay **_

_**But you may find**_

_**With heart's delight**_

_**The rising of the day. **_

Leo sighed and looked up at the fortuneteller. "You're sure about this?" he asked.

Penda smiled. "Of course. I see her with my own eyes. She the cause and will be the solution."

He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "I hate it when you do that, change everything into a riddle. You did it when we were kids and you do it now." She laughed.

"Well at least I stayed in Africa. Maybe if you weren't as fool as you were, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Well these moments aren't normal, Penda. But thanks. We'll have to catch up later, I have to go find her. What's her name. I know you know," Leo demanded.

"Eliza. Her names is Eliza." Leo stood up.

"I'll find her and tell her what she needs to know."

A/N: There you go, FalconMage, I set up for Leo's entrance later in the fic. I promised I'd use him, so I shall! Once again, sorry about the shortness of the chapter. Holla!


	11. Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 11- Are You Afraid of the Dark?

"Red and black streamers?"

"Check."

"Balloons?"

"Check."

"Popcorn balls?"

"Uhh…"

Corset pinched the bridge of her nose. "Po, please tell me you didn't eat all the popcorn balls."

Po grinned sheepishly, revealing several bits of popcorn stuck between his teeth. "No… just a few… yes."

"Ugh! How am I supposed to have a Halloween party if you eat all my food?" she asked angrily. Corset was gathering her materials for her Halloween bash, and Po was trying to help. Emphasis on trying.

"Why don't we work on something non-food related? That way you won't get angry and I won't get hungry," he proposed.

Corset nodded. "That sounds fair."

"So where are you going to put all these people? I mean, the Jade Palace is big, but I'm pretty sure that Tigress is soundproofing the training hall as we speak and is planning to lock herself in there during the party," he said. She shook her head.

"Would it kill her to have a little fun in her life?" Corset's eyes lit up in that certain way that they did. She had an idea. A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. "Po, go and get Tigress and everybody else and meet me in the Hall of Warriors." And as quick as a bolt of lightning, she was off.

Po shrugged and went to gather everyone.

"What do you think she wants us for? She's been so busy with her party lately, I've barely seen her at all," Viper said.

"Maybe she wants us to drink some witches' brew or something," Crane joked. The doors to the Hall of Warriors opened with a creak. The gap was just large enough for corset to get through. She had a long, red velvet cloak on over her clothing.

"Enter, mortals, if you dare."

And she disappeared back through the doors. They all exchanged glances and shrugged before pushing the doors open wider.

Immediately corset shrieked, "CLOSE THE DOOR!"

"We have to get in first, corset," Tigress said.

"Whatever. Just don't keep it open for very long. You'll ruin the ambiance." After all six of them were inside, Po closed the doors. It was clearer why corset didn't want the doors open.

The columns were sending off their normal greenish glow. But it only added to the overall spookiness that was now being radiated towards them. Thick black blankets had been thrown over any light sources and blocked them out. Red paper lanterns that were leftover from last New Year's were strung between pillars. And somehow corset had managed to bring a huge fire ring and logs in, where a fire currently crackled and popped. What little light there was made silhouettes of all the ancient kung fu artifacts on the walls.

"Welcome to my lair. I hope you left any fear at the door. If you haven't… well, let's just say you'll wish you had," corset said, lowering her voice for effect.

"Does Master Shifu know about all of this?" Tigress asked, glancing around the room.

"Tigress, my dear, I can't drag a fire pit in here by myself," she answered.

"Master Shifu helped you drag a fire pit into the Hall of Warriors?" Mantis asked.

A low, grating voice replied, "She had some help from the forces of darkness." Everyone jumped and turned to the voice. Chen Hu grinned back at all of them like the Cheshire Cat. "Good day. Did I scare you?"

Tigress scowled. "It probably would have been more effective if any of us believed in the forces of darkness," she said bitterly.

Chen Hu's look softened when his eyes caught hers. "Well forgive me, Master Tigress. I suppose I'll just have to work harder next time." The rest of the Five snickered and corset rolled her eyes as Tigress blushed and smiled at him.

"Yo, forces of darkness! Do you mind putting your eyes back in your head so that we can get on with this?" corset asked impatiently. Chen Hu smiled once more at Tigress and winked before sitting down in between the two females.

"Thank you for making me sick. Anyway, you're probably all wondering why I've summoned you," she said, her voice deepening again.

"Isn't that obvious?" Tigress asked.

"Silence, please, silence. It was a rhetorical question."

"So tell us, oh swami of all things Halloween, why did you call us here?" Viper asked, mimicking corset's tone.

"This is where I'm going to tell scary stories for my party. Pretty cool, huh?" she asked.

"You did all of this so that you could tell scary stories? Isn't that a bit… stupid?" Tigress asked.

"Come on, Tigress, get in the spirit! You have to admit, it shows dedication," Monkey said.

"And no one knows the forces of darkness better than this nutcase," Chen Hu said, pointing to corset.

She just shrugged. "I try."

"Chen Hu, you actually believe in these 'forces of darkness'?" Tigress asked.

"A little. It's a fun idea. And who knows, maybe they are out there, causing all sorts of misfortune in the world."

He made a face at her, pulling down the bottom rims of his eyes and sticking his tongue out. She just scowled and looked away as everyone else snickered. He whispered something in her ear and she smiled at him again.

"All gross mushy moments aside, may I continue?" corset asked impatiently.

The doors to the Hall opened again. "Corset?"

"CLOSE THE DOOR!" The door closed and padding footsteps were heard. Rajah's face was illuminated by the pool of light from the fire.

"What's going on in here?" he asked.

"Corset was just about to entertain us. Ready to dance, monkey?" Tigress asked teasingly.

"I take offence to that!" Monkey yelled.

"Sounds like fun. Can I be included, or is it a Jade Palace alumni thing?" Rajah asked.

"Yeah, it's the second one. Luckily for you, dates are allowed. Unluckily for you, Chen Hu is mine because he helped me set up," corset explained.

"It's alright, he can be my date," Tigress offered, patting the empty spot next to her. Corset rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine. Just sit down and be quiet. I want to do this before I wrinkle up and look like a witch. Or worse, like Tigress."

Rajah sat down. She cleared her throat and picked up a large brown suede drawstring bag.

"Welcome, all. I hope you enjoy this evening's tale. It's one I heard myself from a llama herder on my last trip to Central America. And it is called…"

She reached into the drawstring bag and pulled out a handful of powder, throwing it onto the fire. The fire leapt up, and a title appeared.

"…The Tale of the Aztec Princess."

"Ok, where did that title come from? Is that even possible?"

"DON'T INTERRUPT THE FORCES, TIGRESS!"

"Alright, alright, no need to yell."

_Once upon a time, many decades ago during the time of the Aztec civilization, there lived a beautiful young princess named Solana. She was adored by all her people, and she in turn adored them. She could hardly wait until she assumed the throne and got to be queen. And for much of her life, that was all she thought about. Being queen, what she would say as queen, what she would do as queen. _

_But then something went wrong. One day, a servant entered her room. His name was Miguel. He was just an ordinary servant, coming to refill the princess' water jug. But on first sight, she fell madly and passionately in love with him. _

_At first he didn't reciprocate her feelings, but over time he came to love her just as much. Every day he came into her room to refill the water jug… _

_…and didn't come out for quite a while. _

_B__ut it wasn't these long meetings that made her father, the king, suspicious. Every day he invited his daughter to dinner to discuss the affairs of the kingdom. But she had stopped taking interest in domestic affairs, and only stared blankly into space and nodded every so often as he talked. _

_So one day he went to her room to see what was the matter. And he discovered Solana and Miguel together. He was outraged that his daughter would shame him by loving someone beneath her. But he remembered that there was soon to be a sacrifice to the gods on the stone altar. _

_A human sacrifice. _

_And who was more fit to be a sacrifice than someone who is in love? So the king sent out the ultimatum that Miguel was to be the human sacrifice. When the princess heard the news, she wept and wept, and refused to come to the ceremony that would bring about her lover's death. _

_After it was over, she ran to the altar. Miguel's body was still there, and only his heart was missing, having been ripped out for the sacrifice. _

_Solana wept over his body for hours, before she saw the long, bloody dagger that had cut out his heart. The heart he had promised to her. She turned it in her hand and looked over it. The blood was still warm. And she took it and left. _

_The next morning, the king and all his advisers were found to be dead, their hearts ripped out of their chests. Solana stood at the altar where Miguel's body still lay. She raised the dagger high above her head, and stabbed herself. _

_They say that she still roams the ancient ruins of the palace, carrying a dagger, and with her clothes drenched in blood. She's waiting for the spirit of Miguel to come for her. She's still waiting for her true love to return. _

Corset removed the hood of the cloak, allowing her face to be bathed in light. "Did you like the story?"

"That was great! I was totally scared!" Po exclaimed.

"It wasn't that scary. You're too much of a romantic to be in horror," Tigress said.

Corset shrugged. "Maybe so. But did it sound familiar in any way?" she asked. Tigress raised an eyebrow at her, and corset mirrored the action. Tigress looked away and surveyed the room.

"You did a good job with the decorations. It'll look nice for the party." Corset smiled as Tigress left, letting the light of day pour into the room. _She may not be yet, _she thought as she poured a tin bucket of water onto the fire, _but she's coming over to the believer side. She just needs some more time. _

A/N: I spent this chapter reminiscing about my childhood by watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes on YouTube while writing this. I used to be really scared of that show, but now I wish I had watched it more often. If you search "AYAOTD episodes", you can watch them and see what I mean. It's the perfect show to watch on Halloween Night. Holla!


	12. Pointy Stuff

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 12- Pointy Stuff

"Okay, now open your mouth."

A girl with shiny blond hair and green eyes opened her mouth for corset. Corset put her face up close to the girl's mouth. "No, I don't see anything. I think it's just your imagination, Bryna."

"Are you sure? I could have sworn that I felt a gap in there," Bryna asked.

"It's just your imagination, dip wad. You didn't lose any teeth," Bryna's brother Micah said. Bryna stuck her tongue out at him. Micah looked around them. They were in the arena.

"So this is where you've been staying? Nice place."

Bryna scoffed at him. "It's better than nice, it's gorgeous."

Corset shrugged, "It's alright, I guess. And I think your thatched-roof cottage in Ireland is better. I guess I'm just not one for splendor."

"Are you kidding? You flourish in places like this. You're just a princess born out of place," Micah contradicted. Both corset and Bryna stuck their tongues out. Micah and Bryna were both from the Irish countryside, but you couldn't tell from their looks.

While Bryna had blond hair, Micah had dark, straight black hair and the same green eyes. Bryna was the same age as corset, but Micah was a year and a half older.

"I think Master Shifu's eye will be forever twitching if I bring any more people up in here," corset laughed.

"But once you told him we crossed a couple continents to get here…" Micah trailed off.

"Master Shifu doesn't take pity on people, if that's what you're thinking. And he's not that bad of a guy once you get to know him," corset defended.

"He scares me a little," Bryna said.

"Yeah. I thought our dad was uptight," he added.

"Corset? Where are you?" Viper slithered into view. "There you are. Master Shifu is looking for you. It's time for your training."

Corset groaned. "Tell him I don't want to."

"Why do you have to train? I thought you were just here to host the party," Bryna asked.

"I have to learn some kung fu stuff in exchange for letting my boyfriend stay here," corset explained.

"That's not very fair," Bryna agreed.

Micah looked up at corset. "Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

Corset stood up. "Come on. You guys can watch." They all walked—and slid—over to the training hall. Inside the rest of the five were going about their normal business, looking cool and taking on the obstacle course like it was nothing.

Micah and Bryna both responded at the same time. "Whoa…"

"You're late," Master Shifu scolded, coming over to the group. Corset shrugged. He sighed. "Come with me." They both left the two Irish people standing there alone with Viper.

"So, you two are friends of corset," Viper said awkwardly.

Bryna nodded, "Yup."

"Unfortunately," Micah added.

Bryna hit him upside the head. "Ow!"

Viper smiled, the smallest bit of her fangs showing. "I like your teeth," Bryna said.

"Um… thank you?"

"Do you always have to be careful about biting yourself on the lip?" she asked.

Viper shook her head. "No, not really."

"Oh. Well, you're lucky. I always have to be careful that I don't sink my teeth into my bottom lip." Bryna smiled, showing her teeth—and two pointed fangs. Viper screamed and shrunk back. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. Crane and Monkey rushed over.

"Viper, what's wrong?" Monkey asked.

"Your teeth!" Viper shrieked, still addressing Bryna. Bryna used one hand to cover her mouth before running outside.

Micah glared at Viper. "Nice going."

"Come on, we need to find her," corset said, pulling him out the door.

"What happened?" Master Shifu asked.

"That—that girl's teeth! They were fangs, like mine, only shorter!" Viper explained, shaking.

"Viper, I'm pretty sure that's impossible," Mantis insisted.

"I swear, it's true!"

"Let's go see what's going on," Tigress said determinedly, marching out of the training hall.

"BRYNA!"

"BRYNA, WHERE ARE YOU?" Micah sighed defeatedly and sat down. "Great. She's gone. Now what?"

"We have to find her, she's probably really upset!" corset exclaimed.

"Corset!" They both turned around. "What's going on here?" Tigress asked crossly.

"Really, I have to remind myself to write you guys a thank you card. My sister is gone!" Micah said angrily.

Tigress opened her mouth to say something, but corset cut her off. "Look, if you want the truth, here it is. Bryna is a vampire. But she's not evil or anything. But she is really self-conscious about it. And now she's gone off somewhere and we have to find her!"

"Because she'll suck our blood out?" Po asked fearfully.

Micah stepped forward, making the rest of them take a step back. "Look. Just because my sister is a vampire doesn't mean that she goes around sucking everybody dry. She's never even drank a human's blood. The greatest worry that my family has about her is that she'll start biting her arm or something. So back off." He turned his back to them and stalked off. "BRYNA! BRYNA! THIS IS SO NOT COOL!"

Tigress growled. "I don't like him."

"He's just worried about his little sister, give the guy a break. Can you guys help us find her?" corset pleaded.

"Sure. It's probably not a good idea to have her running around. If someone else finds out, it could start a panic," Rajah said, cutting off Tigress' refusal to help after being reprimanded by a sixteen-year-old.

They split up, calling Bryna's name all over the place.

"So," Rajah said, "How long have you known that guy, per say?"

Corset shrugged, parting some bushes and looking behind them. "I don't know. Five years, I think."

"Oh. Well that's a… long time."

Corset smirked. "Why so many questions about Micah?" she asked teasingly.

"No reason in particular. Just curious. Have you ever been to his house?" Corset laughed.

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

"I am not!" Rajah defended.

"I think you are…" she taunted, sliding her arms around him.

"I'm not! I was just asking," he insisted.

"Okay, Stripes, whatever you say. Come on, we need to find Bryna."

* * *

"I don't believe this. Everything used to be so normal, I did my training, I was a good student. Now I'm off chasing vampires and choking on peaches and whatnot," Tigress grumbled. She and Viper were searching the bunkhouse.

"I don't see her in here. Maybe we should go find Crane or Mantis or someone," Viper said nervously.

"You're not really scared of that girl, are you?" Tigress asked.

"She has fangs, Tigress—fangs! Like mine, only for sucking blood!" Tigress rolled her eyes. She went to leave the bunkhouse, but banged her arm off the doorframe.

"Ouch!"

"Are you alright?" Viper asked.

"Yeah, I just hit my arm." She inspected the small cut which had appeared, wiping off a garnet bead of blood and shaking it off her finger.

"Let's go get a bandage. You know, where there are other people."

"Viper, honestly, it's not like she's just going to spring on us."

Viper and Tigress' voices trailed off as they left. The drop of blood that Tigress had flicked away was sitting on the top step. But before it could seep into the wood, a milky white finger scraped across it. Bryna lifted the finger to her mouth and licked the blood off, smiling.

* * *

"I can't believe we haven't found her yet. There's only so many places she could be," corset said.

"Well this is a huge place. Maybe we went past her and now she's got a new hiding spot," Micah suggested.

"Yeah. She's probably running all over the place every so often so that even if we look through the same places, she won't be there," Rajah agreed.

"Ugh, this is getting annoying. BRYNA! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU JERK?" corset yelled.

"Hi guys." They all jumped. Bryna was standing behind them, smiling. Micah sighed in relief and hugged her.

"Thank goodness. Don't run off like that again!"

"I'm fine. I just needed some time," Bryna said, stepping back from him.

Corset grabbed Micah by the back of the shirt and pulled. "Something's wrong."

"What?" he asked.

"Something about Bryna is wrong. Listen to the way she's talking. Doesn't she sound a little… detached?" she asked.

"Corset?" Both their heads snapped towards the direction of Bryna's voice. "Is this him? Your boyfriend?" Bryna asked, her eyes locked on Rajah. Corset stood between the vampire and her boyfriend.

"Yeah… this is Rajah. Why?"

Bryna's smile widened. "He's very handsome."

"Thanks…"

"Corset!" Tigress, Viper, and Po ran up to them. "Awesome, you found her! We were worried about you," Po said jovially to Bryna.

"I'm fine. But thank you for taking the time to search. It means a lot," Bryna replied.

Po took a small step back, a little spooked by the tone of her voice. "Um… no problem."

Bryna turned to Viper. "You don't have to feel bad about this, if you do. I'm just a little self-conscious is all." Viper nodded and gulped. Bryna's eyes flicked to Tigress.

"Hello…" her voice trailed off.

"Hi," Tigress said, raising an eyebrow.

"You're her, aren't you?" she asked.

"Excuse me?"

"The one who cut her arm on the door. Are you alright?" Tigress' eyes widened.

"How—how did you know about that?"

Bryna's smile turned to a grin. "I was hiding under the porch. You didn't think to look there, did you? And I saw you. And while the memory is fresh, I have to thank you."

"Th-thank me for what?" Tigress asked, her voice now quavering.

"For the meal. It was the first I've had in quite a while that was still warm," Bryna explained. Her grin was showing off her fangs.

"What… what's that supposed to mean?"

Micah stepped between the two. "Bryna, I think you should come with me. You need some rest."

Bryna shook her head. "I'm not that tired. And besides… I'm still very, very hungry." Micah's eyes widened.

"But he said you've never drank blood!" Tigress exclaimed fearfully.

"No. Micah told you that I've never drank a human's blood. But I have no problems with animal blood." She bared her fangs, hissing at them.

"Run!"

They all bolted out of there, and Bryna smiled sardonically before chasing after them. Corset pulled everyone into the Hall of Warriors before shutting the doors. "Hopefully they'll be too heavy for her to open on her own," she said, breathing heavily.

Micah slumped back against the doors. "Oh, man. This is terrible. She hasn't freaked out like this since last summer."

"This has happened before?" Tigress asked.

"Once. My mom cut her finger on a sharp knife and Bryna got a hold of it. We had to hold her down and force feed her two pints of cow blood before she would calm down," Micah explained.

"Well thanks for telling us earlier," Tigress snapped.

There was a sharp pounding on the doors. "I know you're in there," Bryna called drearily.

"What do we do?" Viper asked.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, we could kill her with a stake through the heart," corset said.

"I cannot stake my own sister!" Micah yelled.

"Well what do you suggest that we do?" she yelled back.

Micah thought for a minute, then snapped his fingers. "I got it. If we give her enough blood, then she'll calm down!"

"Well where are we supposed to get blood?" Po asked.

"Hey… did it just get quiet?" corset asked.

"What do you mean?"

She ran over to the doors and pushed them open. "Corset, are you insane? You'll let her in!" Viper warned.

"No I won't. Because she's not there anymore!" Corset pushed the doors open the rest of the way. There was no one standing there.

"Where did she go?" Po asked.

"Oh, no…"

"What?" Tigress asked nervously.

"What if… what if she's out hunting the others?" corset proposed.

"Do you have any meat?" Micah asked.

"Well, there's some in the kitchen, but…"

"Great. So here's the plan…"

* * *

Corset peaked around the corner. "Ok, the coast is clear. Come on." She started to go down the hallway of the bunkhouse, but Rajah pulled her back.

"Wait, corset, hold on… I need to talk to you."

"I don't mean to brush you off, Rajah, but this is not a good time," corset whispered sharply.

"I know, but there's something that I have to say to you," he insisted.

"Could you say it to me after we're done catching the vampire?" she asked desperately.

"Catch who now?" They both jumped and swiveled around. Bryna was smiling at them. "Well, I'm having a hard time finding the others. What luck that I should find you," she giggled.

"Stay away from us!" Rajah ordered, putting corset behind him.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? He really is a keeper, corset. However, since I can't find the other tiger who gave me my appetizer, I suppose I'll just have to settle for him for the main course. I've never fed on someone this good looking before." She advanced toward them, her fangs gleaming.

Corset grabbed Rajah's hand and pulled him down the hallway. Bryna shook her head. "They always run." And she went after them. Corset and Rajah bolted out of the bunkhouse and jumped off the stairs to the side.

Bryna came after them and stood on the porch. "Now!" Micah called.

Corset pulled a rope that they had tied to a tree on one side. Bryna was startled by her brother's voice and she started forward, tripping on the rope and falling down the stairs. When she hit the dirt and leaves at the bottom of the stairs, a net pulled up around her and trapped her, dangling her a foot or two in the air.

Micah came out of hiding and stood in front of Bryna. "Sorry, sis, but this is for your own good."

* * *

"I'm sorry that I went nuts out there. And that I tried to suck the blood out of all of you. It just happens sometimes with us vampires," Bryna explained. She had just finished a meal of chicken blood, and everybody except Micah, Rajah, and corset looked like they were going to throw up.

"I… I suppose it's not your fault. I mean, you didn't choose to be a vampire," Monkey said.

"But if I ever catch you drinking my blood again, I'll be the first to come at you with a stake," Tigress warned darkly.

Bryna nodded. "That's fair. But just for the record, vampires aren't all that bad. The only ones who really should fear us are dentists and orthodontists." And despite the corny-ness of the joke, everyone laughed.


	13. Tai Lung Learns a Lesson

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 13- Tai Lung Learns a Lesson

"Ok, now come through!" corset shouted.

"No!"

She sighed angrily. "Just do it! Or I'll drag your spirit butt to Master Shifu and see what he says!" Tai Lung phased through the wall.

"There, are you happy now? Why are we doing this anyway?" he huffed.

"I want to see what you can do as a ghost. Right now we're just going through basic stuff. In fact, next thing is disappearing," she said, checking her blue see-through plastic clipboard. When she looked up, the room was empty. "Tai Lung? Come on, you can't avoid this forever! You need my help, and you know it!" she yelled.

He reappeared about six inches away from her, making her scream and jump back. "Relax, I'm right here. And I already know that I need your help, so don't rub it in," he said.

She put the clipboard down. "Sorry, I just… I've never had a ghost for a friend before. I guess I'm just worried that you'll go evil on me or something. But I guess I'm just being stupid."

At first he wanted to ask her, _Who said anything about us being friends? _But he held back. "I put the evil chapter of my life behind me, thank you. Even so, I don't know why you're wasting your time. I'm not getting into Heaven any time soon."

"Well it's at least worth a shot. But on the bright side, if you don't get into Heaven and you have to stay a ghost for the rest of your life, then you can hang out with me for eternity," she offered, trying to sound optimistic.

Tai Lung's eyes widened in fear at the thought of having to spend eternity with corset. He shivered and shook his head. "Even if I did decide to spend eternity with you, I'd still have to share you with that damn boyfriend of yours," he said darkly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay, what can you possibly have against Rajah? He's never even seen you before!" she yelled, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Yes, my dear, but in case you've just forgotten the little demonstration of my powers, I can see you when you can't see me. And just for your own knowledge, I've seen you and that boy together, and what you two do when you're alone," he sneered, smirking.

Corset's face flushed bright red. "First of all, keep your ghost butt out of here when Rajah and I are alone. That's none of your business," she snapped.

"But you make it my business since we're _friends_ now." She scowled at him.

"Alright, that's it. You can forget about me helping you. I am sick and tired of your sarcasm." She stormed out of the room.

"Wait—wait!" Tai Lung rushed after her. "You can't be serious… I need your help!"

"Yup, and you just lost your one chance to get it!" corset yelled over her shoulder.

She ran right into Rajah. "Corset, who are you talking t—" He was cut off as Tai Lung entered his body. "I need your help, and you're the only one I know who won't try and kill me a second time!" Rajah exclaimed.

Corset scrunched her eyebrows. "Wha… what did you say?"

"I know you heard me, so I'm… I'm sorry, alright?" Corset rubbed her eyes. "What?" Rajah asked.

"I… I see you, Rajah, but you sound like—"

"Rajah? I'm not your good-for-nothing boyfriend!" he exclaimed.

"Whoa…"

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"You've… you've taken over Rajah's body. Hey, wait a minute, get out of my boyfriend!" she yelled, pushing him.

"It seems I've hit a nerve. Don't like me now that I have something behind my pretty face?" he asked, playing with the fur on Rajah's face.

"NO, I just don't want him to catch your idiocy!" she defended.

"It's hard to catch idiocy when you don't have brains to start with," Tai Lung taunted. She slapped him hard across the face—Rajah's face—whatever.

"Look. Rajah is very smart and kind and I don't want you messing around in his body. So get out!"

Tai Lung sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll let your stupid boyfriend be under his own power again." He stepped out of Rajah's body and went invisible so that Rajah wouldn't see him and freak out.

Rajah put a hand to his head. "Whoa… I feel like I got hit by a train." His eyes met corset's. "Um… corset, can I talk to you? It's really important," he said.

"Yeah, maybe later, I need to meet Master Shifu for today's training. Keeping you here doesn't happen on its own," she lied. She pushed past him and Tai Lung followed, sticking his tongue out at Rajah even though he couldn't see it.

"Oh… ok, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"That was a bit cold, don't you think, Ice Queen?" Tai Lung asked once they were outside.

"Look, I already have to be on 24/7 watch to make sure no one finds out about you, don't push me," she warned.

"Well I thought being your boyfriend for a few minutes was fun. At least until I realized that if I stayed in there too long people would expect me to kiss you. However…"

"Oh no, don't even think about it! I can already see what's going on in that scheming brain of yours, so cut it out," she said.

"What? You wanted to see what I could do with the benefits of being deceased. So let's find out," he smirked. He spotted Tigress meditating underneath the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. He turned invisible and stalked over to her before entering her body.

"No!" corset yelled. But it was too late. Tai Lung was already standing up and inspecting his new hands. She ran up to him.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Tai Lung. If Tigress starts acting weird for no reason people are going to get suspicious."

"How hard could it possibly be? All I have to do is parade around acting like I'm superior to the entire universe," he joked. Corset held back a giggle.

"Tigress!" Corset saw Chen Hu coming toward them.

"Oh no, not now!"

"What? Who is that?" she asked.

"Chen Hu. He and Tigress are kind of together. Sort of. I mean, they show romantic interest in each other," she explained.

"Wonderful. Now I have to deal with two lover boys." Chen Hu jogged up to them.

"Hi, corset." His eyes sparkled as he looked at Tigress. "Hello, Tigress."

She smirked at him. "Hello. To what do we owe your presence?"

"I-I just thought I'd stop for a visit. To see how you were doing. How are you?" he asked shyly.

"She had a run-in with a vampire yesterday. Don't let her anywhere near your neck for any reason," corset warned.

"Vampire… that's funny, corset, very funny. Oh, um, I have something for you, Tigress." He took out a small bag and revealed a shiny stone attached to a chain.

"A rock?" she asked.

"It's a pebble, technically. And it's shaped like a heart. See?" He traced the outline.

"Oh. Well… um, I'm not usually one to wear jewelry." Chen Hu slumped a little.

"What Tigress means is that jewelry sometimes gets in the way, you know, when she's training. But she loves it, right, Tigress?" corset asked, putting emphasis on the name. Tigress nodded only a little and looked away as he took the necklace. And she walked away without another word to either of them.

Chen Hu sighed, "Corset, look, if Master Tigress doesn't think of me… in the way that I think of her, then she doesn't. You don't have to push me onto her like that."

"But Chen Hu, she's crazy about you. She's not herself right now… look, I'll have her meet you here tonight and you two can walk down to the village together for a date. And I swear, she'll love it. Just… clean yourself up and get her some flowers or something. And she'll be wearing the necklace."

Before he could protest, she ran off after the Tiger Master. She pulled her aside before she could enter the training hall.

"Alright, Tai Lung, it's time for you to get out of Tigress. This is not funny in any way. Come on, get out of there," she demanded, gripping Tigress' forearm.

"Oh no, I'm not ready to leave this body yet. This is the most fun I've had since I was a kid," Tai Lung refused.

"You can't stay in Tigress' body! She needs that! And besides, Chen Hu is going to be waiting for her tonight for a date, and I'm not going to let you mess up her personal life!"

"Why do you care? You two aren't exactly friends. I've seen the way you two go at it, it's not that pretty a sight."

Corset sighed, "Tai Lung, don't you see what you're doing? This is exactly what got you into trouble the first time! You had power, and you couldn't handle it. And that got you stuck in prison for twenty years! Just because you have the ability to do something doesn't mean that you should." She smiled and took Tigress' hand. "Please… I want to help you. But this isn't going to get you any closer to Heaven."

Tigress sighed and looked away.

"Or I could put you in a dress and send you to Chen Hu," corset threatened.

"Oh no, you are not getting me into a dress! Alright… I'll leave the girl alone." Tai Lung stepped out of Tigress, and she slumped to the ground. "I hope you're happy now," he whispered before going invisible.

"Oh, my head…" Corset helped Tigress stand up. "What… what happened? I can't remember anything." Tigress looked around. "How did I get here? I was meditating over at the Sacred Peach tree."

Corset smiled and shrugged. "Maybe you're just imagining things, Tigress. And by the way," she reached down and picked up the necklace, "Chen Hu sent this for you. He made it himself."

Tigress took the necklace and looked at it, her eyes shining and a smile gracing her lips. "He did? For me?"

Corset nodded. "And he wants you to meet him at the Sacred Peach Tree so that you two can go down to the village together. If you want to that is."

"That sounds nice. He actually told you that, right? You're not just making it up?"

Corset laughed and took the necklace from Tigress' hand. "No. I may be a pain, but I'm too much of a romantic to mess something like this up," she said as she clipped the necklace around Tigress' neck.

Tigress smiled and ran her fingers over the charm. "Thank you."

"Whatever. Just don't go around telling people that I helped you. You'll ruin my reputation," corset said.

And she could have sworn she saw a mouth connected to no body, smiling at her. Not smirking, smiling.

But it might have been her mind playing tricks on her.

A/N: Ooh, unlucky chapter 13! It only just occured to me now that I could have written this chapter on superstitions, but this is already typed, so too bad. And theres' a recurring cliffhanger now, if you can catch it. And a reference. It might not be what you expect. And I'm on schedule again! Yayyyyyy! Hope you liked the chapter! Review, or I'll stick you in a blood bath and sick Bryna on you. Holla!


	14. The Raven

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 14- The Raven

**Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered weak and weary, over a many quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. **

Rajah sat staring at one of his textbooks. In addition to corset having to train every day to keep him at the Jade Palace without being ambushed, his parents required him to study and take tests which they sent to him every so often.

He didn't really mind the work, but he would rather be with corset. _I haven't even gotten a chance to talk to her for the past few days. She never seems to be alone anymore. _He stared at the poem before him. _The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe_. His father thought it would be fun to analyze since he was at the Jade Palace for a Halloween party.

_Yeah, right_, Rajah thought, tapping his pencil against the paper.

**While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as if someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door, only this, and nothing more." **

Rajah nearly fell asleep over the poem, but was startled awake when he heard someone knocking at the door to his room. _Maybe it's corset. Then I can finally talk to her. Or at least she can help me with this stupid homework. _He stood up and walked toward the door, taking the poem with him and continuing to read.

**Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow, vainly I had sought to borrow from my books surcrease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore. For the rare and radiant maiden who the angels named Lenore. Nameless here forevermore. **

_I have to admit, I feel bad for Edgar. He must have really loved this Lenore. _He leaned against the door, forgetting about whoever was on the other side.

**And the silken, sad, uncertain; rustling from each purple curtain thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before. So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, "Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door, some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door. This it is, and nothing more." **

Rajah remembered that there was someone at _his_ door. "Hey, sorry that I didn't…" There was no one there. He looked both ways, but the hallway was deserted. "Okay… weird." He closed the door, turning back to the poem.

**Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, "Sir," said I, "Or madam. Truly your forgiveness I implore. But the fact is I was napping when so gently you came rapping. And so faintly you came tapping, tapping on my chamber door, that I scarce I thought I heard you." Here I opened wide the door—darkness there, and nothing more.**

_That's a little weird. _He looked from the paper to the door. "You're slipping, Rajah, get it together."

**Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before. But the silence was unbroken and the stillness gave no token, and the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?" This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" Merely this and nothing more. **

Rajah felt his heart sink a little. Maybe writing this interpretation wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

**Back into my chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, soon again I heard a tapping, something louder than before. "Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice. Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore. Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore. Tis the wind and nothing more."**

There was another knock on his door. He stood up again and pushed open the door. There was no one there. He shook his head. It was probably corset and her friend Micah playing tricks on him.

_I don't know why she bothers with him. I mean, he's not that great. Just because he's from Ireland… and he's known her for five years... and has an Irish accent. _He sighed and sat down on his bedroll.

"Who am I kidding? There's no way that I can compete with him. He's older than me… and probably smarter… and… _sexier_. And on top of that, I'm probably going nuts. I'm doomed. Doomed to the reject pile forever." He sighed and picked up _The Raven_. "Mr. Poe, you might be on to something. Love sucks."

**Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, in there stepped a stately raven, of the saintly days of yore. Not the least obeisance made he, not a minute stopped or stayed he; but with the mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door. Perched upon the bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; perched and sat, and nothing more. **

"It's like he's reading my mind. Go away, stupid raven. Leave me and my girlfriend alone." Rajah knew he was pouting, but it hurt.

"Rajah?"

**Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, "Though thy crest be shorn and shaven thou," I said, "art sure no craven; ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the nightly shore.  
Tell me what the lordly name is on the Night's plutonian shore." Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."**

Rajah jumped. It was corset. Or at least it sounded like her. But it was too close—he was the only one in the room.

**Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, though its answer little meaning, little relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door, Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as "Nevermore."**

He looked around him. "Corset?" He stood up and opened the doors, looking through them in case she was in the hall. _I really hope that it's not Bryna on another blood rampage. I like my blood, and I kinda need it. _But no one was out there, so he went back in.

**But the raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only that one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing further then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered; Till I scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have flown before; on the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before." Then the bird said, "Nevermore."**

"Tell me about it, buddy," he said to the poem, resting his chin on his palm. "I've never had a steady girlfriend—who said this was going to be any different?"

**Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, "Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master, whom unmerciful disaster Followed fast and followed faster, till his songs one burden bore,--Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore of "Never--nevermore."**

"Rajah?"

He stood up again. He had heard corset, he knew it. "Corset?"

**But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door; Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore--What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore, meant in croaking "Nevermore."**

"Corset, come on, this isn't funny. Come out, I need to talk to you," he coaxed. There was no reply. He shook his head and muttered, "I really am going crazy."

**Thus I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the fowl, whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining on the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er she shall press, ah, nevermore!**

"Rajah, where are you? Why did you leave me?"

Rajah sighed. "I don't know, corset, you tell me. But it would be a lot easier to figure out what the hell you're talking about if I could see you."

**Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer swung by seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor. "Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee -- by these angels he hath sent thee respite--respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, O quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!"  
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"**

A slight chill filled the room.

"Behind you, darling."

Rajah spun around. Corset was there, but she wasn't right. She was a pearly silver color, and she had no legs. She just floated above the floor. "Cor—corset?"

**"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil! Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--On this home by horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore: Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me I implore!" Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."**

"Why did you leave me, Rajah? Where did you go?" she asked sadly.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who's gone, I never see you anymore! You're always too busy," he said.

**"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil--prophet still, if bird or devil! By that heaven that bends above us--by that God we both adore--tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden, whom the angels name Lenore--clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels name Lenore?"  
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."**

"Goodbye, Rajah. Goodbye." "Wait, goodbye? What's going on? What happened to you? Are—are you dead? When did all of this happen?" he asked frantically, trying to take her hands. But he just went right through them.

**"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting--"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! -- quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off ****my door!****"  
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."**

And before Rajah could ask more questions without answers, corset disappeared. He just stared off into space where she had been. "No… no…"

**And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.  
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted—nevermore!  
****  
**Rajah awoke with a start. He was lying across his desk, having fallen asleep on his homework. "It… it was a dream? Corset… please don't be dead." There was a knock at the door. He jumped at the sound, and slowly stood up and opened it.

Corset was standing there, smiling at him. "Hey, finished your homework yet?" she asked cheerfully.

He swept her up in a hug, spinning her around. "I'm not done yet, but I'll do it later," he said, nuzzling her neck. She pulled back.

"Are you sure? If you get it done now, you won't have to worry about it later," she tempted.

He smiled softly. "I promise I'll have it done before the end of the day. But right now—" He picked her up and carried her into the room, closing the door with his foot. "—I want to spend some time with my beautiful girlfriend." Corset giggled as he pressed kisses down her neck to her collarbone.

"What are you doing for this week anyway?" she asked, picking up the papers. "Oh, _The Raven_, I love that poem! Isn't Poe great at mental imagery?"

Rajah plucked the poem from her hand and crumpled it up. "You know, I really don't care about mental imagery. No offence. It's a stupid poem." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Corset, I really have been meaning to talk to you about something," he said seriously.

"Alright. What's up?"

"I… I think I love you. Actually, I know that I love you. I love you, corset."

A/N: I love The Raven. It's my favorite poem.


	15. Psychic Type Stuff

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 15- Temporary Psychic-ness Type Stuff

Tigress stumbled out of the restaurant, giggling like an idiot. Chen Hu followed shortly, looking concerned. "Tigress—Tigress!" He caught her by the waist and pulled her up before she could hit the ground. She turned around and placed her hands on his chest, getting as close as she could to him.

"Oh, Chen Hu, I'm having so much fun! Really, I don't think I've ever had this much fun ever!" she slurred.

"Okay, Tigress, I think I should take you home," he said worriedly, putting a little distance between them.

"Not yet, please? Can't we just stay out a little bit longer, really, I feel really great! And I'm having lots of fun with you, I really like you, Chen Hu," she said, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.

He lifted her head and held it in his hands. She stumbled a bit, but he steadied her. "Master Tigress, really, I think we should go home. I think you had a little too much to drink."

Tigress giggled. "You sound so serious when you call me 'Master Tigress'. It's kinda sexy," she purred.

"Really, you need to get home," he insisted, starting to lead her towards the Jade Palace.

The date had started off well enough. They walked through the village and talked, then went to dinner. _Everything was beautiful and we were connecting. _Then the waiter brought dessert and a bottle of wine came with it. Chen Hu himself didn't drink except on New Year's, but Tigress insisted that she didn't mind. And without much time passing, she had drunk half the bottle and was drunk out of her wits. _At least she's a nice drunk._

Tigress resisted and dug her feet into the ground. "I don't wanna go! Please? Just a little longer?"

He shook his head. "You're drunk, Tigress, you need to lie down. Come on."

"Could you hold your head still for a minute? It's makin' me a bit dizzy," she said, hiccupping. He stopped walking for a minute, and her lips smashed up against his. He was shocked, but she started to slow down and he tried to enjoy the kiss. The heavy taste of grapes and alcohol were on her breath, and some spit was starting to escape her mouth. He pulled away. Tigress started giggling and touched her lips.

"Okay, really, we need to get you home." He started to pull her away, but she just stood perfectly still with eyes wide.

_A large cart rolled down the street. "Look out!" The cart rolled faster and faster until it hit something and stopped. That something—was Chen Hu. _

She shook her head. "Come on, Tigress, let's get you some help."

She pushed against his chest, pushing him back to the side of the road. "Let's just stand over here, 'kay?"

"LOOK OUT!" A cart rolled down the street and thundered over the spot where they had been standing moments ago.

"Whoa… that could have been us…" Chen Hu breathed, clutching Tigress' hand.

Tigress laughed. "It could have! It really could have!" She gripped onto his upper arm so she wouldn't fall over as her knees buckled. "You know, you have really nice arms. Do you work out or something?" she asked hazily.

"Ok, come on, Tigress. Time to go home." He picked her up bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing his cheek. "Tigress, honestly, you're too drunk. You're not going to remember any of this, so let's not do anything that you'll regret," he said, repositioning her head so that it was lying on his chest.

She smiled peacefully and closed her eyes. He smiled a little. _She… she looks so perfect. _Tigress opened her eyes. "Chen Hu?"

"Hm?"

"Can we turn left instead of right?"

"Why?"

"Cause if we go right then the bandits and rapist will get us," she mumbled into his neck fur.

He stopped. "What?"

"The bandits and the rapist. They're going to take all your money and try to kidnap me. Can we go the other way? Pretty please? I'll be your best friend," she coaxed, tickling him under his chin.

_She's probably just rambling. She's drunk after all. But still…_ He set her down next to a fruit seller's stall. "Stay right here and don't move. Promise?" She nodded and hiccupped.

He crossed the street and hid around the corner of the alley that he was going to take them down. Peering into the darkness, he saw a group of men standing around. "Who's next?" a large ox asked. Chen Hu hid behind the wall as a crocodile looked out, the very tip of his mouth being visible.

"What about the tigress? She'll definitely be worth my time," he snickered. Chen Hu clenched his jaw to keep from yelling out for ever thinking of Tigress in that way, as just an object. _She's so much more than that. _

"Hey, that's Master Tigress of the Furious Five! You can't pull one over on her! She'll kick us all up the mountain to the Jade Palace and have us on the chopping block before sunrise!" another voice said.

"That just means that she'll get us a pretty penny on ransom," the crocodile said.

"Even more than a penny if her virginity is still intact," the ox smirked. It took all in Chen Hu's power not to pounce on him and rip out his brain. _How dare they… if they ever even think about touching any part of her person… I'll kill them. _

"And besides, look at her, she's wasted. She'll be easier to trap than a mouse in a cheese factory." Chen Hu slipped back across the street and ran to Tigress. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her up.

"Oh, hi, Chen Hu, hi!" she sung, waving at him.

"Hello to you too. Now get up, we need to get going," he pressured, pulling harder on her hand.

"But I like it down here. You should come sit here with me, it's very relaxing," she said dreamily, pulling back on his hand.

"Hey!" He saw the crocodile and a few of the other coming through the crowds toward them.

"You know where else is relaxing, Tigress? Up at the Jade Palace. We'll go up there, just you and me. And we can sit up there, ok?" he pleaded, kneeling next to her. The men were getting closer.

"You know, Chen Hu, I really like you. You wanna get married?" she asked.

He picked her up again. "Sure, sure, we'll get married, but to do that, we have to get out of here, so let's go!" He started to weave through the crowd, trying to be as careful with Tigress as he could while keeping an eye on the men. They were pushing people out of the way.

"Hey, pretty boy."

Chen Hu stopped short. The ox was standing in his path, looking menacingly at him. "Where you going, pretty boy? You're a bit homely to be with that kind of girl aren't you?" he growled.

_Don't remind me_, Chen Hu thought. "Listen, I'm not looking for any trouble, I'm just trying to get her back to the Jade Palace," he pleaded, twisting his head around as the rest of the gang surrounded him and Tigress.

"Chen Hu, will you take me to see your farm? I really want to see it, please?" Tigress asked.

"Farm?" the crocodile asked.

"Yeah, he has a farm! And it's really, really pretty! Well, actually, I've never been there, but I bet it's really nice and beautiful," she slurred.

"Really, she's just drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying," Chen Hu insisted.

"And he has a farmhouse! And it's probably really pretty and painted white with blue shutters. Is it white, Chen Hu, is it?" she asked.

"Let's talk about this later, shall we? If you'll excuse us gentlemen," he said, trying to push through them.

"Not so fast… does the lady want to leave?" the ox asked.

"It really doesn't matter, she's drunk, so—"

"Oh, let's stay, this is fun! Maybe they can help paint your farmhouse!" Tigress exclaimed.

"See? Why don't you stay for a while? Or better yet, if you need to run, then just leave her with us, we'll make sure she gets home," the crocodile said overtly sweetly.

"No, really, if you'll just let us through…" Chen Hu's voice was lost in the void of Tigress' ears, along with all other noise around them.

_There were bandits and rapists around them, surrounding them and not letting them leave. "Give us the girl, and we'll leave you alone," one of them threatened. Chen Hu growled before stepping on his foot, making room for them to squeeze through, which Chen Hu promptly did, yelling for help and grabbing everybody's attention. _

"His foot," she said dazedly.

"What?"

"Give us the girl, and we'll leave you alone."

"His foot. On his foot," she mumbled. Chen Hu stared down at her with a confused expression for a few seconds before his eyes lit up. He stomped on the ox's foot, and there was just enough room. He ran through the space and took off.

"HELP! HELP! BANDITS!" he yelled.

Everyone started to panic, but Chen Hu didn't look back to watch the commotion. He just continued toward the steps of the Jade Palace.

"THE GIRL! GET THE GIRL!" _Oh man, oh man, oh man! _

He crossed the bridge that led to the Jade Palace, then took a left. He hid them both behind a tall lining of bushes before stopping and sinking to the ground, Tigress still in his arms.

"I… I think we're safe. At least for now. Are you alright?" he asked, stroking her cheek tenderly.

She grinned. "That was fun! Can we do that again?" He smiled sympathetically.

"I don't think so. But we'll need to get you somewhere where you can sober up. Those thugs know who you are, so they'll probably be circling around the Jade Palace for a while. I guess I'll have to take you back to my farm," he said a little nervously.

"Ooh, can we paint it white? I think it would be beautiful in white with blue shutters. Please, Chen Hu?" she asked.

He grinned. "I'll paint it whatever you want. But let's go there quietly so that we don't disturb anyone, ok?" he asked, dropping his voice to a whisper. She nodded and pretended to zip her mouth closed.

He stood up and started towards his farm. _How did she know about those bandits, and about the cart? Stepping on the thug's foot was probably instinct from all her training, but still. Something isn't right about all this…_


	16. I Accuse You

Corset-rebellion-follower's Super Amazing Halloween Spectacular

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 16- I Accuse You

This chapter is about arguments.

Once again, we find our friends down in the market. Sadly, Master Shifu said that they couldn't take another day off from training. So corset offered to take Bryna, Rajah, and Micah down without them. Master Shifu said they couldn't go without an escort to keep them out of trouble (which seems to be very attracted to corset) Almost immediately, Tigress volunteered. This disturbed corset a little, but she went with the flow and agreed, seeing that Tigress was her one and only ticket down to the village. So this is how we come to the second argument. A very familiar argument to the beloved readers.

"Corset, honestly! I want to do something for you!"

"No, Rajah, and that's final!"

Rajah rested his palm on his forehead. "Corset. Let me explain something to you. I am your boyfriend. And that means that I love you and I want to make you happy. Please just let me buy you one little thing. Then I'll shut up about it forever, I swear," he said, taking her hands.

"You don't have to buy me things to make me happy. Your existence makes me happy. So don't waste your money on me," corset insisted.

"Just let him buy something for you already! If it'll get him to shut up," Micah mumbled.

Rajah glared at him from the corner of his eye. "Alright, look, go ahead and pick something out for me. Surprise me. And I swear I will let you buy me something. Okay?" Rajah smiled and nodded, kissing corset's cheek before going off to find the perfect gift for her.

Corset sighed and shook her head, but was still smiling. The light sound of humming reached her ears, and the source was Tigress. She was singing to herself and looking over a stall of perfume. Corset quietly skipped over to her and leaned to Tigress' ear, whispering, "What'cha doin'?"

Tigress jumped and spun around, nearly whacking corset in the face. "Whoa, relax, it's just me! Still a little jittery from that drunken spree of yours?" corset asked.

"Shhh! Someone might hear you!" Tigress said fearfully, looking around.

"Don't worry, I never tell a secret. Besides, it's not like anyone here cares about your pathetic love life," corset teased.

"Excuse me that I want to protect my honor. Besides, Master Shifu will kill me if he finds out." She picked up one of the bottles and smelled it, smiling peacefully and letting her shoulders relax.

"You know, I like this new you. You're just… you know… not grouchy anymore. I think I'll call this new state of Tigress the 'Chen Hu-You'. Pretty slick, huh?" corset said, tossing a bottle up and down.

"Just because I'm being a little more serene than usual doesn't mean that I'm—"

"Hey, let me go!" Tigress put down the perfume and turned to see three pigs holding down corset and tying her hands together with rope.

"Let her go!" Rajah yelled. He pulled on one of the ropes, trying to break corset free.

"What's going on here?" Tigress snarled.

"Forgive us, Master Tigress, but the magistrate has a warrant for her arrest," one of the pigs explained.

"What'd you do?" Micah asked, his eyes wide.

"I didn't do anything!" corset screamed.

"I beg to differ." A large, fat pig dressed in golden robes strolled into the group.

"This girl has committed a very serious crime."

"And what is that?" Tigress demanded.

"Witchcraft."

"WHAT? You have got to be kidding me!" corset yelled.

"There's no law that says that you can arrest someone for that!" Tigress argued.

"I make the laws here in the Valley, so therefore I can," the magistrate said calmly.

"But you guys are Taoists! You don't believe witchcraft is a sin and since you don't you can't punish her!" Rajah noted.

"I'll have no more of this arguing! She's under arrest and that is final!" And the men dragged corset away, with her shrieking at them.

"What are we going to do?" Bryna asked quietly.

"We can't let them do this, it's not fair!" Micah yelled. "You're right. It's not fair. We'll go tell Master Shifu and he'll straighten this all out," Tigress said.

Rajah walked past them. "Don't waste your breath! They won't care what Master Shifu has to say about it. For some reason someone in the Valley wants corset hung by the neck." He paused. "I don't care if I have to kill all of them and pry her from their cold, dead hands, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO THIS TO HER!"

He started to run after them, but Tigress caught him by the back of the shirt. "Nothing good will come of killing them. We can't do this on our own."

"Let me go! They're going to kill her if we don't do something NOW!" Rajah screeched. Tigress didn't listen. She dragged him all the way up the steps and to the training hall, where Master Shifu was watching the rest of the five.

"You're back—where's corset?" Shifu asked.

"She was arrested." Suddenly everyone who was running the training course stopped and stared. Po was hit by the training dummy and flew right to Tigress' feet.

"What? What did she do?" he asked.

"She didn't do anything! She's completely innocent! This would never be tolerated in India!" Rajah raged, standing up.

"What happened exactly?" Crane asked.

"We were all just in the market and they tied her up and said they had a warrant from the magistrate for her arrest," Bryna said.

"What was the warrant for? What was her crime?" Shifu asked.

"Apparently it's witchcraft," Tigress said.

"There's nothing that says she can be arrested for that! She doesn't even practice witchcraft! I would know if she did!" Rajah yelled. Master Shifu pulled him down and slapped him swiftly across the cheek.

"We'll get nowhere with you going on like that! We need to have a clear mind to think this through," he said, letting Rajah stand.

"How am I supposed to have clear mind, my girlfriend was just wrongly arrested!" Rajah defended, rubbing his cheek.

"If we don't handle this carefully it could mean trouble for corset," Viper explained.

"Master we have to do something. She won't be able to defend herself, she'll be blinded by rage," Tigress pleaded.

"Come. We'll take care of this right now."

When they reached the magistrate's house, there was already a small courtroom set up, and a jury was sitting in chairs on one side. Corset was bound by the wrists by irons, sitting next to a tall podium. The magistrate approached them.

"Master Shifu, I'd thought I'd be seeing you here."

"What's going on here? What is all of this?" Shifu demanded.

"It's for the girl's trial. She has been accused of witchcraft," Magistrate explained.

"Wrongly accused!" Rajah added. Monkey put a hand over his mouth.

"You have no right," Shifu seethed.

"I have every right, now if you'll excuse me." He left them standing there and stood behind the podium. "Order, order in the court!" Everyone fell silent, with only a few extra whispers hanging in the air.

"Corset… corset… whatever your last name is, you have been charged by the people of the Valley of Peace for practicing witchcraft to do harm upon innocents. Do you plead innocent or guilty?" he asked.

Corset glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then looked at the floor and said nothing.

"Well? What do you plead?" She remained silent.

"This is injustice! She never had anything to do with witchcraft!" Rajah yelled, coming up the aisle.

"Since you won't speak, we'll take this young man's plea for you. You plead innocent." Corset hid her face in her hands and shook her head. Rajah looked at her, shame in his eyes.

Shifu stepped in. "But he is right! She is innocent!"

"Magistrate," Hong, the head adviser, whispered, "Master Shifu is highly respected by the Valley. The villagers may not stand for his testimony being ignored."

Magistrate glanced down at Shifu, who was glaring. "Very well, Master Shifu. You may give a defense for the girl. Speak."

"I've known her personally for many months, and I have no reason to believe that she deserves to be subjected to such treatment!" Shifu yelled.

"Not deserving and being innocent of a crime are not the same thing. Bring in the evidence." A goose waddled in and handed the magistrate a book.

He held it up for corset to see. "Tell me, does this look familiar to you?" he asked. Corset's eyes dilated. "The title is 'A Fortuneteller's Guide to the Supernatural'. How strange that you would have this." Corset said nothing, only stared at the book, shaking a little.

"How do you know it was hers?" Po asked.

"It was found in her bag that we confiscated," Magistrate explained, "Now do you recognize this book or not?" Corset still said nothing. "Take her away," Magistrate ordered.

"You can't do that!" Tigress objected, "You haven't even a witness to support your defense!" Magistrate's eyes fell on Tigress.

"Master Tigress. If you would be so kind, I would like to ask you a few questions." Tigress froze.

"Would you please?" he asked.

"She'll answer your questions," Shifu answered for her. Tigress sighed, looking to her friends for support. They all showed her scared and sympathetic eyes. She walked a few steps ahead, then stopped.

"Master Tigress, you've known corset for a while, haven't you?"

"Yes…" Tigress said slowly.

"Have you ever seen the accused doing anything strange? Out of the ordinary?" he asked. She glanced at corset, who was staring intently back, studying Tigress' face. "Well, Master Tigress?"

"I… I…"

"May I remind you that you are bound under law to tell the truth? If I find that you're lying, I'll have every right to take you to jail with her." Tigress paused.

"Well… a week or two ago… I was outside… and I heard her talking to herself."

"Talking to herself? Did you hear what she was saying?"

"It… it sounded like she was talking to someone. I-I don't know who. You'd have to ask her." Magistrate glanced at corset, whose eyes were glued to the floor in front of her.

"Master Tigress, do you believe that the accused has had anything to do with the recent string of strange events befalling the valley? The sudden storms, for example? In fact, I seem to remember that you yourself were sick and nearly needed surgery. Will you further my intelligence on the matter?"

"I… I was choking on a peach."

"And what happened right before that?" Tigress looked to Master Shifu, who merely nodded.

"I… I had an argument with her."

"I see. So right before you nearly choked to death…"

"Hold it right there! She did not nearly choke to death; she still had a clear pulse! You can ask the doctor yourself," Shifu interrupted.

"Stop." Everyone looked to corset. "I can defend myself. You all can shut up now," she said.

"So, the silent dove is ready to speak," Magistrate said in a taunting tone.

Corset ignored the comment. "Tell me, Magistrate, you are charging me with witchcraft because of the strange events that have been recently occurring?" she asked drearily.

"Yes, but…"

"But how do you know for sure that it is I? Maybe I borrowed that book from someone else. It is nearing Halloween, after all."

"Then give us the name and you shall go free," Magistrate said.

"Another thought has just occurred to me. Why are you charging me on such short notice? I haven't heard from anyone in the village that I was suspected of being charged. How do we know if you're not charging me so that you don't have to worry about being discovered?"

The room fell completely silent.

"Ex… excuse me?"

"How do we know if you're not the witch, and are trying to begin your reign of terror?" she asked. Silence again.

"Case dismissed. She's innocent."

A/N: I was at Salem this weekend, so I decided to do a chapter based on the Salem Witch Trials. Sorry if it seems a little detatched from the rest of the story. BTW, I know I haven't updated every day, but I didn't have any internet on my trip and then my computer crashed, so I lost all the work I had done on this story. I've been trying really hard to keep up with updating every day, but instead I've decided that instead of trying to rewrite the three days worth of chapters that I missed, I'll just not worry about them and keep trying to update as often as possible. My schedule lately has been very stressing, so I've been having a hard time updating. Sorry! I just need a break. So sadly, this story will not have thirty one chapters like I hoped for. But I'll try to get as many done as possible, and I'll still upload the final chapter on Halloween, as promised. Holla!


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